Catherine Murphy (Kildare North, Social Democrats) | Oireachtas source

I will move on to a number of other issues regarding Bus Éireann then. The €9.5 million deficit is up from €6 million. Mr. Murphy might come back to us and tell us why that is.

Regarding the non-PSO routes, is there a level playing pitch in respect of the competition given that, having talked to the National Transport Authority, it seems pay and pensions are not an issue for competitors? It is not a like-with-like comparison. Bus Éireann will not be, nor should it be, in a position to look at reducing people's wages or interfering with their pension entitlements. How then does it expect to compete with other providers who do not have a historical pay and pensions issue? Am I reading that situation correctly?

Moving to Irish Rail, I note that Mr. Allen has come through the Railway Procurement Agency, where he was chief executive from 2002. One of the ongoing talking points regarding rail services in the capital concerns the railway order in respect of the DART underground project, which was allowed to lapse for financial reasons. A lot of money was spent getting to the point where there was a railway order and design in place for the project. What percentage of that work is still usable and does Mr. Allen see the underground proposal forming part of his vision for the future of Irish Rail? I see Mr. Barry Kenny of Iarnród Éireann is in the Public Gallery. I often refer to his statement some years ago that the DART underground initiative would be the real game changer in terms of increasing the number of passenger journeys. Does Mr. Allen agree the project is necessary? The need to build underground was identified in a Dublin Transport Initiative report published in 1996, at a time when transport funding came from the European Union in a thematic way. One of the arguments made then, more than 20 years ago, in favour of an underground facility was that Dublin was underperforming because of congestion. Does Mr. Allen see the bringing back into play of the underground project as a central component of efforts to resolve the congestion issue?

In regard to the maintenance costs of €103 million per year over five years, I understand what the chairperson designate is saying in regard to speeds. If that level of underfunding continues, when will we reach the point where it is not just speeds but safety that is potentially compromised? I accept that Mr. Allen will not take that risk but can he give us some idea of what risks might present if sufficient funding is not made available? Maintaining speed capacity is very important in terms of attracting people to use public transport instead of private cars but safety must always be the primary concern.

Dublin Bus is the workhorse of the public transport system in the greater Dublin area. The same question that arose in respect of Bus Éireann arises when it comes to Dublin Bus and the awarding of the contract to Go-Ahead, namely, whether there is a fair competition when one is up against a competitor who does not have to match pay and pensions. How does Mr. Courtney see that issue being overcome and could it compromise other routes? I accept his point that having a cohesive system is important. In my own area at one point we had a range of transport operators offering different services at an array of different bus stops. That type of arrangement is incoherent and difficult for people to navigate, and that can have knock-on consequences. What does the chairperson designate consider the best approach to take into the future to ensure a cohesive service? We will have to wait and see how the Bus Connects initiative pans out but it seems to be a useful initiative. There have been several improvements in bus services in the capital in recent years, including, in particular, the real time information service. It took a long time for the various companies to get on board with the Leap card but that facility makes public transport much more attractive to people.

Wheelchair users have frequently voiced their concerns regarding the 24-hour notice requirement. Will the Chairpersons designate outline any proposals they have to address that issue? Have models been put in place in other jurisdictions to overcome the problem?