Enda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael)

The Taoiseach is quite prepared to say anything and hopes to get away with it. He mentioned rowing back and forth but the point is that he has completely abandoned ship. Whoever wrote that answer for him was very selective in the choice of phrases chosen from the programme for Government. First, there are approximately 1,100 buses in total in Dublin, not 1,100 new buses. Second, the Taoiseach is right in saying there is no change — that is why people must wait two years for a licensing decision. Third, the most important and fundamental element of the Dublin transport authority was to regulate competition, yet there will be no such competition now. The ship has been completely abandoned.

I remind the Taoiseach of what is in his programme for Government. The author of the Taoiseach's reply did not say the programme for Government is to "deliver real commuting choice" and specifically to reform bus licensing to facilitate the optimum provision of services by providing a level playing pitch for all market participants. That has been abandoned. In his announcement on Sunday, the Minister, Deputy Noel Dempsey, said we would just have a single provider, with Dublin Bus doing the business from Popintree right around the whole perimeter of the city with a first-class service.

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