Noel Dempsey (Meath West, Fianna Fail)

Plans to introduce competition into the Dublin bus market have not been abandoned. The Government is committed to the further expansion and enhancement of public bus services and wants a world-class service to be delivered to all citizens. Moreover, it is wholeheartedly committed to obtaining best value for the travelling public and the taxpayer from significant subsidies being invested by the Exchequer in public bus services operated by Dublin Bus and Bus Éireann.

In order to achieve this, the Government has identified a number of priorities in its programme for Government. The programme contains a commitment to expedite the establishment of a Dublin transport authority that will have the necessary powers to ensure the delivery of the integrated public transport system, as envisaged under Transport 21. It is my intention to bring the Dublin transport authority Bill to Cabinet shortly for approval to publish.

In terms of the subvented bus market, the Dublin transport authority Bill will set out the mechanisms for the award of contracts for this subvention in line with the new regime introduced under the new EU PSO regulation, which will become mandatory from next year. The programme for Government also includes a commitment to improving bus services under Transport 21 by reforming the bus licensing provisions of the Road Transport Act 1932 to facilitate the optimum provision of services by providing a level playing field for all market participants, both public and private.

It is my intention that proposals for a new bus licensing regime will follow in subsequent legislative proposals. Any new licensing regime will be designed in a manner consistent with the new EU regulation on public service obligations in the transport sector, which was adopted in 2007 and which will come into force next year. While it is not possible to indicate a precise time as to when the legislative proposals on regulatory reform of the bus market will be published, applications for new bus licences and notifications from State bus operators will continue to be processed under the provisions of the Road Transport Act 1932, as amended, and the notification system with reference to the Transport Act 1958, as appropriate.

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