asked the Minister for Labour if he has received a report on the developments which led up to the recent stoppages in CIE bus services; and if, on the basis of any such report, he proposes to take action to secure improved industrial relations within CIE so that the public will not again be deprived of transport services.

I was kept informed by my Department's monitoring unit of developments in relation to the recent disputes in the Dublin, Limerick and Waterford city bus services; my intervention in the dispute resulted from the reports available to me from the monitoring unit.

The industrial legislation at present before the House should contribute to improve industrial relations and limit the area of disputes in industry.

This is a very serious matter which has caused grave inconvenience and hardship to the people of Dublin, Cork and Limerick. I want to register my disappointment at the miserable failure of the Minister for Labour in his obligations to the ordinary bus users of those cities.

I want to assist the Deputy to elicit information, but he must proceed by way of question.

His passive role not alone contributed——

The Deputy is making a statement.

——to the inconvenience——

The Deputy's observations do not appear to be a fair assessment of the facts of my intervention in the bus dispute before Christmas. However, he is entitled to his opinion.