Robert Troy (Longford-Westmeath, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

We have to be careful what questions we ask the Minister because when I asked a question about the Road Safety Authority I did not expect the Minister to talk for 15 minutes about his hobbyhorse of quangos and how people are appointed to State boards.

The Minister expressed a need for an increase in the State subvention to Dublin Bus and Bus Éireann. He said he is making a play in the upcoming budget for a significant increase. He also said it would be foolish for him to tell us what the increase would be. It is foolish of the Minister and Department not to inform State bodies of what they can expect. They should be in receipt of multi-annual budgets so they can plan for the future, rather than on an ad hocbasis. The Minister has failed to acknowledge that despite the cut in subvention over the past number of years, we have seen an increase in revenue, profits and passenger numbers for Dublin Bus. Why did the NTA take €2 million from Dublin Bus profits and state it was too profitable while at the same time restricting how Dublin Bus can negotiate in terms of the level of funding it will have in the future?

The Minister is no longer a columnist with the Sunday Independent- he is the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport and has responsibility for Dublin Bus. He can instruct it to go to the negotiation table again without setting any preconditions. We heard from that the unions that they are willing to return to the negotiation table. The Minister has a responsibility to the 400,000 people who rely on Dublin Bus on a daily basis, the bus drivers and the rest of those in Dublin city to whom the industrial dispute is causing significant disruption.