Paschal Donohoe (Dublin Central, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

Anybody who is going on strike tomorrow will not find themselves required to change company due to the tendering process that is under way. It is an intervention that is unprecedented in the recent history of both companies. It was made by the Government because I recognised the concerns that workers have regarding a change. I am also very conscious that what will happen tomorrow will cause immense harm to the company and to the travelling public. The losses for both companies will be in the millions of euro and millions of journeys will be affected by what could yet happen tomorrow.

The Labour Relations Commission and all that is available there provided a forum within which the framework I have outlined could have led to dealing with detailed matters of implementation. That would have allowed the residual issues that existed to be dealt with.

One matter that has been further emphasised throughout today is the issue of legacy costs. I have emphasised again here this evening as I did earlier that legacy costs as a result of this process will not have to be dealt with by the companies. As a result of what could happen tomorrow, great legacy costs will be conferred on both companies due to the scale of strike action that will happen. I will not be asking the taxpayer to pay for that cost.

I believe we will have a bigger bus market with a bigger Bus Éireann and bigger Dublin Bus within it. As we increase investment in both those companies we should do so in such a way that the best value can be gained for the taxpayer and where a degree of tension can be introduced for that market to ensure services are provided well and taxpayers' money is well spent.

See this speech in context