Fergal Browne (Fine Gael)

She later clarified the point. This is ludicrous. Fine Gael is in favour of shaking up the bus system but only in consultation with the unions which have not been consulted. The Minister is fantastic when it comes to making announcements, although he does so without checking the position fully with all concerned, but is bad on delivering them. I hold the Department of Transport and the team of Ministers guilty in that regard.

Fine Gael would be in favour of having a bus competition immediately under an interim regulator who would offer for tender 20% of public routes and allow any private or public service provider to propose a new service specifying route and frequency. Service provision for such routes would be open for tender if such a regulator was satisfied there was sufficient demand. He or she would require bus companies in receipt of subvention to publish full route performances. We also need to establish a new traffic corps for the four Dublin local authorities and the DTA.