Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I propose to take Questions Nos. 1 and 2 together. My apologies to the House for being a little bit late. I was stuck in traffic in Blanchardstown this morning.

I do not set public transport fares. Just as in the telecommunications and energy sectors, it is the responsibility of the regulator - in this case, the National Transport Authority - to adjudicate on applications from the CIE companies and the Railway Procurement Agency for fare increases or changes. In our dealings with all companies, we have consistently emphasised that they must reduce costs ahead of future fare increases or service cuts. However, in the current environment, fare increases will be inevitable if costs cannot be reduced sufficiently to maintain a reasonable level of service provision and protect our network. The NTA recently approved a range of fare increases.  Significant savings can be made by passengers who choose to avail of the integrated ticket, the Leap card. In many cases, passengers will be paying fares that are below 2011 cash fares if they use the Leap card.

Notwithstanding the NTA's statutory responsibilities, the Government recognises the need for the CIE companies to respond to the challenge of reduced PSO subvention funding, reduced fares income arising from reductions in passenger numbers, and increased costs, such as fuel costs, which are outside their control. The country does not have the money it used to. We all know this. The board of CIE is pursuing a range of measures to address the financial position, including cost reductions across the three operating companies. Improved bank facilities have been agreed, which will ensure that the company has sufficient funding into the future.

The Government continues to provide substantial Exchequer investment in the public transport network despite the significant financial challenges. Over the three years from 2011 to 2013, the total Exchequer allocation to the three CIE companies, in respect of PSO services, free travel, school transport and capital expenditure, has been more then of €1.5 billion. The priority must be to get a better return from the public transport system through targeted investment and better use of existing resources and by using technology to make public transport more responsive and user-friendly.

My Department has also provided funds in Dublin and the regional cities to promote sustainable travel, including the further development of bus lanes, improvement of rail and bus stations, bus stops and shelters and improvements in accessibility. Through the NTA, my Department is also funding the use of smart technology to make public transport easier to access and more reliable for the user. Significant progress has been made with the Leap card, real time passenger information, and the national journey planner that maps all public transport services across the country. The provision of Wi-Fi wireless networks on trains and buses has also improved the transport experience. The NTA will continue to advance these consumer-friendly initiatives which make using public transport more attractive. The public transport experience has improved significantly and that is where we must target our efforts in future.

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