Tommy Broughan (Dublin North East, Labour)

I received many letters from around the country of people who are so upset by this. In one, from Lifford in Donegal, a constituent writes that she and her daughter with Down's syndrome used the Stranorlar bus every week to get to Raphoe where they got a connecting bus to Letterkenny to meet with speech therapists and other appointments about her daughter's health. She does not drive and now has no access to transport at all.

That is what we have ended up with due to the Minister's action. Do not land this on to the Bus Éireann management. It is the Minister who cut the subsidy in real terms, who slashed the national bus services and who must bear responsibility.

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