Damien English (Meath West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

It is not a case of not knowing the point being made because I can see the point. There is no issue in that regard and I understand what the Deputies are trying to say. They have asked about specific tender details but I do not have those documents and am not privy to them. I can try to see if I can get some information to enlighten the Deputies on the policy.

The difficulty is that Bus Éireann must operate within the rules, as the Deputies can appreciate. Those rules currently do not allow Bus Éireann to exclude Kerry Flyer or any other social enterprise solely because it has received Government funding. The procurement issue is that it cannot be prevented from tendering, and the company won the tender.

I will certainly get some of the answers to the Deputies' questions. Deputy Healy-Rae asked if there is some rule against this somewhere but there is none of which I am aware. Bus Éireann has taken strong legal advice and it is within the rules. The company can also see the points being made and everybody can appreciate the logic. The rules allow for this and Bus Éireann has no choice but to allow Kerry Flyer and other groups to tender for the routes. The rules are implemented in the same way throughout the country, and there are many rules concerning school transport that people may not like in a local area. They are the same throughout the country and they must be implemented in a standard way across the board.

I see the point made by the Deputies and I will certainly try to get the information they seek. I have not seen the contracts and that is not something that would come across my desk. It is the job of Bus Éireann to analyse the tenders within the rules of the policies set out.

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