Shane Ross (Dublin South, Independent)

I do not accept that the Government can wash its hands of this. The National Transport Authority is an agency with Government appointees on the board. CIE is a semi-State company and also with Government appointees on the board. Both companies are controlled by the Government. They are doing a nice little friendly tick-tack between each other and the Government says it has nothing to do with this 15% fare increase. This is the way the quangos work. God knows, CIE has had problems. How much has the LEAP system cost? I think it cost more than €40 million to introduce it. This is the company that spent €500,000 on a secret report which it would not even tell the previous Minister about. It is in dire, critical need of reform and there is no reason for giving a 15% increase to a company which is run like this.

Does the Government accept any responsibility for the 15% timebomb which will come up and bite it next month after the property tax has been introduced? It will be a worse problem for the Government than the latter as soon as people realise next month what fares they must pay on the buses.

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