Richard Boyd Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, People Before Profit Alliance)

I welcome the Minister of State's offer and will take him up on it. However, this is a much bigger issue. Thousands of elderly people in Dublin, including those who are immobile or disabled, have been affected by cuts to many bus routes, including the Nos. 3, 5, 10, 13a, 25x and 38c routes. There has been a disastrous attack on bus services, including Nitelink services, which are needed by some of our most vulnerable citizens such as young people and low-income families. I appeal to the new Government which before the general election correctly highlighted the importance of maintaining bus services to scrap the review which is nothing but a cover for cutbacks. It should reinstate bus services and stop the review now. The Minister of State has said there is no money to do so. While I accept the IMF stuff, I do not accept the rationale behind paying off bankers, etc. I have made a serious proposal. I ask the Minister to ask the Taoiseach not to spend €25 million or €30 million on-----

See this speech in context