Paul Gavan (Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I want to raise the international situation. My colleague, Senator Boylan, referred to it yesterday as well. I hope we all share concern about the growth of far-right governments in Sweden and now in Italy. It is important for people to speak out. It concerns me that prominent parties both in the European People's Party, EPP, and in the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe, ALDE, are actively coalescing with these fascist parties. The Liberal Party, a member of the ALDE group, is actively planning to coalesce with the Sweden Democrats, an outrageously right-wing, far-right racist group. Similarly we see Forza Italia from the European People's Party doing the same. I know enough good people in the EPP and ALDE to know that an awful lot of the people do not share those views. However, they have to speak out. It took years for people to speak out about Viktor Orbán when he was in the EPP. We should not take that long. There is this horrific trend towards far-right governments. It is important for all of us to speak out and, I hope, agree on a common platform of keeping fascists out of government.

On an altogether more local point, I have frustration and good news on bus services in Limerick. I have to sing the praises of the Clare-Limerick Local Link group, which has worked in collaboration with a number of elected representatives and is working actively on a new bus service to link a small townland called Montpelier with my village of Castleconnell. People were cut off from their own parish by a swift change in Bus Éireann services. In fairness to the National Transport Authority, NTA, after I contacted it, it immediately linked in with this group. We had a really positive meeting last week and are having another one this week in Castleconnell to marry the needs of these residents with the residents who want to go to university, and potentially join up a new bus service that will serve an awful lot of people in the catchment area of Castleconnell and Montpelier. It is really welcome.

I am so frustrated that while we can see what can be done, the people of Castletroy in Limerick are still waiting for a replacement bus service that was disbanded in early July by Dublin Coach. We have a massive new student population arriving in the University of Limerick who are dependent on buses in Newtown, Castletroy and Monaleen. The same National Transport Authority that responded so well on the first issue is just dragging its heels. It has told me funding is approved to replace the service but I cannot get any answer from the NTA about when that service will come in or how negotiations are going. We are three months on, there is a large, growing population in Castletroy and they have no bus service. I do not know how other colleagues have experienced the National Transport Authority. I know there are good people working in there but I do feel frustrated in terms of accountability at times. This should not be rocket science. If there is funding in place for a bus service it should not take three months for that service to be put in place. Perhaps that is something we could revisit and debate at some stage.