Noel Dempsey (Meath West, Fianna Fail)

The country is in the financial situation it is in and no amount of burying one's head in the sand with regard to reality will help anybody. CIE is suffering as a result of the economic recession, just as is everybody else. Fewer people are using buses and trains and coming into towns to shop and fewer people are working. In that kind of environment, it is inevitable that services will end up in a loss-making situation.

The company has a responsibility to ensure that it trades responsibly. We provided an increase in the subvention and a fares increase. It is up to the company to try and ensure it works within those provisions to maintain services and try and grow them if possible. Taxpayers are providing €313 million to public transport, but there is no more money available from them. It is and will be taxpayers from whom these moneys must come. CIE, as it has done in the past and must do in the future, must live within its means and within its budget.

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