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

Any reduction in service is hardly a good signal to send to potential investors in areas like the strategic development zone at Cherrywood, which is supposed to be a hub. Given that it was projected that 5,000 jobs might be created there, it is a very bad signal indeed. The Minister of State did not respond on the question of whether the inspectors are self-financing. According to the inspectors, there is an absolute connection between their presence on Luas services and the revenue that generates, in terms of the fines they issue and their role in encouraging people to pay their fares. Following a change that was made last year, the 63 bus service from Kilternan no longer goes to the city centre. That change was justified on the basis that the presence of the extended Luas line offers an alternative way into the city centre. The retrograde cut in off-peak services will affect the ability of pensioners, the unemployed and others who depend on such services to avail of public transport links.

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