Bertie Ahern (Dublin Central, Fianna Fail)

Not alone are there more buses, there are 1,000 buses. Over 300 buses have been changed. Obviously, some of those are replacement buses. On Dublin Bus figures, they have 30 buses, the change of routes of which they have not yet agreed. They have to also agree some of their other reform issues. They have been told by the Department that when those issues are addressed there will be agreement on the required additional buses. That is what the review is concerned with. They have not put in an application for any additional buses in 2005. They requested 40 buses before the Luas was set up last year. They have stated that the effect of that was to take buses off their own areas. We should continue with the QBCs and the additional buses we have available. We are also carrying far more passengers. There has been an increase of approximately 12% over the past four years in the numbers of people travelling by Dublin Bus, and that has worked successfully.

Deputy Kenny mentioned the other issues. A total of €1.2 billion has been invested in railways in the past four or five years. Iarnród Éireann, which is carrying people to Kildare, as the Deputy mentioned, has seen an enormous increase in capacity. A total of 120 new inner city rail cars, the largest order ever placed in the history of the State, have been ordered and will be commissioned. As Deputy Kenny is aware, a large number of them will go into the towns he mentioned. That is on top of a huge increase in capacity over recent years. The DART, Luas and bus services are also helping, although maybe not in the areas he mentioned. It is the rail services they require.

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