Noel Dempsey (Meath West, Fianna Fail)

I propose to take Questions Nos. 110, 111 and 115 together.

Following two independent reviews of the integrated ticketing project in early 2006, my predecessor established the integrated ticketing project board in July of that year. The board was given responsibility to deliver the technology required to deliver an integrated smart card ticketing system within an agreed specification, timeline and budget.

The project board submitted a comprehensive proposal to me in December 2006 setting out the timelines, scope and budget. The proposal put the expected capital cost of the integrated ticketing project at €49.6 million. The board's proposal was assessed in my Department and I authorised the project to proceed in June 2007, following the receipt of the sanction from the Department of Finance.

A monitoring committee on integrated ticketing was established by my Department in July 2007. The committee is chaired by an assistant secretary from my Department and includes the chairperson of the project board and the project director. The committee meets on a monthly basis and monitors financial and implementation progress on the project. I am kept informed of progress.

In July 2007, shortly after I became Minister for Transport, I met with the project board to explain the importance I placed on integrated ticketing and the need to establish it as quickly as was feasible. I met with the chief executives of the various agencies involved as well. I again met the chairperson of the project board in December 2007 to get an update on progress and reiterate my continued support for the project and desire to see it delivered as speedily as possible.

The proposed integrated ticketing system will be launched initially within the greater Dublin area on the services of Dublin Bus, Luas and Morton's in September 2009. It will be extended to Irish Rail, DART and commuter rail services within a further 12 months, and Bus Éireann on a pilot basis on a number of its commuter routes. It is also envisaged that other private bus operators will join the scheme.

In the meantime, the award of the contract to build the back office of the system is expected by the end of March 2008 and the procurement process for a contractor to operate the system will then commence. Dublin Bus will launch its interim smartcard scheme in summer 2008 and Irish Rail will follow suit with its own interim scheme in 2009. Some €12.5 million has been paid out by the Exchequer on integrated ticketing since the inception of the project in March 2002.

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