The improvement of local bus services is included in the programme for Government. I raise the need for a local bus service in the town of Portlaoise. The plan has been put together, the research has been done by the local authority, the route has been designed and the location of bus stops has been decided. The Government needs to hand this role over to the local authorities. This is with the National Transport Authority, NTA, and it is a pain trying to get anywhere with the NTA. We should not be contacting the NTA in Dublin about issues like this. The Government should trust the local authorities, their staff and members. They are grown-ups and the Government should devolve that power to them. Portlaoise is a growing town that is over 7 km across. It has a population of 25,000, far bigger than the city of Kilkenny. The centre of the town is choked up with cars regularly. It is a low-carbon town.

Thank you, Deputy.

I welcome that but we need a local bus service to action that low-carbon town plan.

The Taoiseach to respond.

There are households on the outskirts of Portlaoise that are 4 km or 5 km from the centre. Pensioners have to find their way into town to draw pensions every Friday.

We are eating into the time.

We need a bus service in the town and it is time to put it in place. I ask the Government to raise this with the NTA. The Minister for Transport could take a hands-on approach to this. It is a low-carbon town so this is an opportunity to drive this home.

I am not going to continue with this.

I am sorry. I know-----

I will take as many speakers as I can in the remaining six minutes. I am drawing a line there.

What is crucial right now is the interaction between the local authority and the NTA. A proper relationship should exist to facilitate the issues the Deputy has raised about the operation of the local public transport service and system. In some situations it works well and in others maybe not so well.