Martin Cullen (Waterford, Fianna Fail)

I propose to take Questions Nos. 70, 83 and 130 together.

The Railway Procurement Agency, RPA, is the statutory body responsible for the delivery of a national multi-operator system of integrated public transport ticketing using smartcard technology. The RPA is introducing the system on a phased basis in line with international experience in the Dublin area initially and with the involvement of public transport providers. As part of the phased introduction of smartcard-based integrated ticketing, Morton's Coaches, in conjunction with the RPA and as a proof of concept, successfully launched smartcards on its services in April 2004.

Another step was taken in March 2005 with the launch of smartcards on Luas services. The Luas smartcard deployment continues to help in obtaining important feedback from passengers and provide operational experience for the next stage of integrated ticketing. More than 11,000 smartcards have been purchased to date for use on Luas services. In addition, both Dublin Bus and Irish Rail continue to offer existing bus-rail ticketing arrangements. Both companies are also developing plans to introduce smartcard technology and have been requested to pursue the matter on the standards and requirements of the RPA. They also have tickets that integrate with Luas services.

Following an inconclusive procurement procedure in 2005, the RPA, in consultation with the different State and private transport providers, in particular Dublin Bus, has presented proposals to my Department for a revised implementation plan and budget with associated time frames. These proposals and the amount spent to date are currently the subjects of examination in my Department. I expect to reach decisions on the next steps in the matter in coming weeks with regard to the outcome of a peer review of the project, which has been requested by my Department. This review is being undertaken in accordance with Department of Finance guidelines designed to ensure better value for money for public expenditure and ICT projects.

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