Robert Troy (Longford-Westmeath, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I am aware that the unions are still balloting and I accept that the Minister is limited in what he can say. I met the unions and strongly urged them to accept the recommendations of the Labour Court in order to safeguard the future sustainability of the company. As I have said on many occasions, Government inaction over the past 18 months has contributed to this problem. The Minister has talked about the work he has done in respect of social protection but that contact was only initiated early this year. There has been mismanagement at a senior level which has led to inefficiencies in recent years. Bus Éireann has been inadequately funded by the Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport. The issue of how licences for commercial routes were issued is another factor. All of these issues have led to the current situation.

As union members are balloting, the Minister has belatedly given a commitment to establish the public transport stakeholders dialogue. When will it be established? What will be the terms of reference of the forum? How many participants will be involved? What is the timeline for the establishment of the forum? I sincerely hope that the Labour Court recommendations are not rejected. Are there contingency plans to put in place in the event that they are? The Minister does not have to outline the details of any such plan.

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