Mr. Michael Rowland:

It concerns the national office of traffic medicine and Professor Desmond O’Neill’s advice. It is my understanding that what Professor O'Neill said that drivers who are over the age of 70 can self-regulate when they are driving their cars. They can choose to go out or not to go out when it is dark. They can choose not to go out when there are adverse weather conditions. That is different from driving professionally or driving a bus, where you cannot make those choices and you have to go out and drive. There are more complex driving manoeuvres when driving a bus. There is also the added dimension of carrying children and others on the bus. It is for that reason. Bus Éireann makes its own decisions in relation to that. Professor O'Neill is the person who advises on this and it is my understanding that he may have had discussions with Bus Éireann about this particular matter.