Can I thank Russell George for his very constructive contribution, and his questions? I'll take each one in turn, as briefly as I possibly can, Llywydd. First of all, with regard to the consultations that have taken place—and there have been multiple consultations over the past few years—we've attempted to address all of the concerns that individuals and representative organisations of passengers have come forward with. Russell George raises the important point about certain individuals with protected characteristics or carers requiring additional support. I would imagine that, under the discretionary scheme, the same application process and the same considerations would be taken forward, so people should not be left in a position where they're not able to assist the people that they care for, or where they are deprived of the opportunity to travel on local bus services. The criteria should remain the same; it's the eligibility age that's going to be changing.

In terms of concerns that are being expressed regarding the consequences of raising the age of eligibility, well, it is true that price is a major incentive in getting people out of their cars and onto buses. We found that clearly from the pilot scheme that took place on the TrawsCymru network. However, it's just part of the mix. My vision for bus services in Wales, which will only come about as a result of prioritising resources in the right way, and also carrying out the reforms that are necessary to local bus services, is to develop better infrastructure, to ensure that bus journeys are reliable and shorter than journeys by private car, and secondly, to ensure that there is a fair fare scheme in place for anybody and everybody who doesn’t have either a reduced ticket—i.e. young people—or people who benefit under the concessionary fare regime. My view is that a flat, fair fare of a minimal amount, for example £1 per journey anytime anywhere across Wales, would incentivise people sufficiently to leave their cars at home, if they know that they're going to get from A to B quicker than they would in a car.

So, prioritising resource to improve the infrastructure whilst also ensuring that you have a very transparent and affordable way to travel will lead to that modal shift. But it will also require the prioritising of resource for bus services, and that's why we're taking responsible action now concerning the eligibility of the concessionary fares scheme. Because if we don't, it will only go up. It will only rise, quite significantly, and that in turn would deprive us of the opportunity to introduce those much lower affordable flat fares once reforms have gone through. It would deprive us of the opportunity to introduce dedicated bus lanes and other infrastructure that makes it more attractive for people to travel by bus. So, what we are doing is the responsible thing within a much broader vision to how we're going to get more people out of cars and onto buses across Wales.

The application process for the renewal of the cards has been something that we've worked very closely with local authorities over. Indeed, Transport for Wales has taken on the responsibility from all 22 local authorities, recognising that councils simply don't have the capacity and resource to undertake such a huge effort. I and Councillor Andrew Morgan recently wrote to every local authority reminding them of their duties and responsibilities to assist people in applying for the concessionary fare passes, and that includes ensuring that they have readily available paper forms and application forms that individuals are able to use, and that they have support within, for example, libraries. Now, I recognise that some local authorities have been less efficient in providing information and support and disseminating information to libraries and other services than others, but I hope that between the action that I've taken and Councillor Andrew Morgan has taken, we will see all councils step up to the plate and offer the support that's needed to people in applying for these passes.