Michael Moynihan (Cork North West, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

When a dispute arises such that people are on the picket lines, it is not right that a Minister would make a statement to the effect that a particular company can be done without, as the Minister for Social Protection, Deputy Varadkar, did in relation to Bus Éireann earlier this week. Bus Éireann is a company that primarily services rural Ireland. The rural population of this country, as citizens of this State, are as entitled to public transport as citizens in Dublin or any other part of the country. This dispute has been allowed to drift on for 12 days. The Minister repeated again today that he will not intervene in this dispute. The message must go out from Government that Bus Éireann will remain a public service company to provide services for rural communities and that all of Government supports the survival of this company and the staff that man it.

See this speech in context