Aodhán Ó Ríordáin (Labour) | Oireachtas source

I support what has been said about Bus Éireann. Across this House we have been raising this issue and the issue of Dublin Bus for a number of months. SIPTU has announced that it is balloting its members in Dublin Bus and Irish Rail. The Minister has known this was coming from the first day of his appointment, it cannot be a surprise to him.From what was said on the radio this morning I am quite sure the Minister is delighted with the fact that there is widespread support for his interest in changing the judicial appointments process. That is all very well and good but that is not his job. His job is to be the Minister for transport. The Independent Alliance now seems to be running around the place and getting very excited about the latest controversy with An Garda Síochána. At the same time its senior Minister, who presents himself as the leader of the Independent Alliance group is responsible for the transport policy of this country. On the day of his appointment he knew there was impending industrial unrest in Dublin Bus and Bus Éireann. As someone with the responsibility for the purse strings of the Department, he has an opportunity to set out a three to five-year strategy for transport policy in this country. Senator Nash and I made this point as part of a Labour Party motion some months ago. There is deafening silence from the Minister unless he wants to post a selfie of himself going to work at 10 a.m. on a bus that, according to him, bizarrely seemed to be somewhat lacking in passengers. Most people who go to work at 10 a.m. on a weekday would probably find the bus slightly less packed than the good Minister, Deputy Ross.

Not to get personal about it - having just got personal about it - but people have to take responsibility for the jobs they hold. This is the same Minister who has written scurrilous article after scurrilous article in the Sunday Independent when he had the opportunity to write them, saying very personal things about the trade union leadership and now he has the responsibility as Minister for Transport, Tourism and Trade to set out a vision for public transport in this country and he has failed in the most categorical way possible to do so. I join with others in this House in respectfully asking the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport to possibly stop taking selfies in the bus, worrying about issues in the Department of Justice and Equality, to take responsibility for his own job in the Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport, and to come into this august Chamber and discuss with us how he sees the coming weeks and months progressing. One could ask what will happen in a couple of weeks' time if we have a Dublin Bus strike or a rail strike or the school buses do not run. Will he come in at that stage and admit that perhaps it is part of his portfolio? I respectfully support the contentions made by my colleagues across the House on this matter.