Diarmuid Wilson (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I second the amendment to the Order of Business proposed by my colleague, Senator Keith Swanick, whom I commend for the particular Bill he is bringing forward.

I join Senator Kevin Humphreys and other colleagues who yesterday expressed their sympathy to the wife of the late Deputy Peter Matthews. While Peter was not known for his brevity, he certainly was for his bravery and principles. I extend my condolences to his wife and four children. Ar dheas Dé go raibh a anam dilis.

I agree with everything Senator Pádraig Mac Lochlainn said about the lack of transport and air infrastructure in the northern part of the country. I come from a county that had huge infrastructure, both rail and bus, in the 1950s and early 1960s. When the railway line was lifted and closed, we were assured that the road infrastructure would be upgraded and that we would not be neglected. Unfortunately, for people north of a line running from Galway to Dublin, apart from a short stretch of motorway through County Meath, that area of the island has been neglected. At a time when we are concerned about Brexit and the implications it will have for us as a nation, a national bus route to one of the principal cities in the North of Ireland is to be closed. That is nothing short of disgraceful and the matter should be addressed as a matter of urgency. I appeal to the Leader to use his good offices and implore the Taoiseach and especially the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport, Deputy Shane Ross, who has an opinion on everything other than the Department for which he is responsible to intervene in the Bus Éireann dispute as a matter of urgency.