Olivia Mitchell (Dublin South, Fine Gael)

The Minister cannot count either. In 1998, the Government decided to liberalise the bus market. It is now 2006 and the Government has been in power consistently over that period. When will the bus market be liberalised? There are thousands of new communities consisting of newly married couples and new house owners. These communities have no buses; they are utterly bereft of any form of public transport. The first thing the people must do is buy a car and then the Minister wonders why there is congestion and why an outer ring road must be built. The reason is that these communities are bereft of services. The Minister has already spent €117 million building bus lanes. Another €40 million is to be spent this year but there are no buses, and no prospect of buses, to travel on them. When will the Minister liberalise the market?

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