Bríd Smith (Dublin South Central, People Before Profit Alliance) | Oireachtas source

Gabhaim buíochas leis an Taoiseach. I want to ask the Taoiseach, precisely, about the urgency of the Cabinet committee on infrastructure, environment and climate action. The reason I believe this is urgent is because the Taoiseach has said that he does not interfere in industrial relations but we have an ongoing dispute, which is a national crisis, in our public transport. It is now in its 20th day and as we speak, the parties are in the Workplace Relations Commission meeting. I draw the Taoiseach's attention to the fact, as already outlined by Deputy Boyd Barrett in the Dáil last week, that Transport Infrastructure Ireland, TII, now has €100 million extra from VAT that it had not calculated for and was not expecting. A figure in the region of €18 million or €19 million could sort out the deficit in Bus Éireann. Will the Taoiseach comment on the fact that this money is lying there and if it could possibly be used to save the company? When the issue was raised of the €17 million that could be saved by paying Bus Éireann the equal amount of social welfare subsidy for free travel as is paid to the private operator, I noted that the Minister for Social Protection, Deputy Leo Varadkar, responded by stating this was like comparing the price of free travel with the price of subsidising Coca-Cola. This indicates to me the utter class snobbery driving this Government. The Government - and especially Ministers such as Deputy Varadkar who were born and bred with a silver spoon in their mouths - does not understand ordinary working-class people and the needs of the poorer and more vulnerable people in the State for free public transport and for public transport that works and delivers for the most marginalised. Nor does it understand the needs of the bus workers and their families who have now been without wages for three weeks.

See this speech in context