Shane Ross (Dublin Rathdown, Independent) | Oireachtas source

​I thank Deputy Troy once again for his kind comments. It is a pity that he was not present at the select committee meeting earlier to be able to make the same comments. Not only was he not there, his substitute was also not there. He should not talk to me about waking up and smelling the coffee. It looks to me as if he did not wake up at all today. Unfortunately, the Fianna Fáil Party was not able to attend a very important committee of which he is a lead and, at various times when he feels like it, a very important contributor. It is good that he is in the House now.

I have been clear since assuming office that issues relating to pay and conditions in any State owned company under my Department's aegis are a matter for discussion and agreement between the employer and the employees. ​I am aware that Bus Éireann is considering options designed to address its significant financial losses which result from its commercial Expressway service. The formulation and progression of those plans are a matter for Bus Éireann. It has engaged consultants to independently review the options available to it as it seeks to address these losses.

In addition, the Deputy is also aware that the company has indicated its desire to discuss the Expressway issue with trade unions. I am firmly of the belief that difficult issues such as this can only be resolved through open, constructive and realistic engagement between the company and its employees, and I do not propose to comment on the detail of any proposals that might be put to trade unions to address the serious challenges facing Bus Eireann. As shareholder, however, I do have a view that Bus Éireann's serious financial challenges should be tackled decisively and effectively so that the company can be viable and serve its customer base on a sustainable basis.

The Deputy will know that there was a Labour Court hearing yesterday to consider a trade union pay claim in respect of Bus Éireann. I understand that the Labour Court decided it will not issue  a recommendation on the basis that the company is finalising  its reorganisation plan which is due for completion by the end of January 2017.

Additional information not given on the floor of the House

I note that the Labour Court stated that it would be available to the parties if required. Expressway routes are commercial services which do not receive any Exchequer funding. Last year commercial bus services carried almost 23 million passengers, with approximately 7 million of those passengers choosing an Expressway service.

The Deputy is probably aware that the commercial bus market has seen significant growth in recent years with passenger journeys in 2015 13% higher than in 2013. These services are regulated by the National Transport Authority, NTA, under the Public Transport Regulation Act 2009. There have been instances in recent years whereby some commercial services have been reconfigured leaving certain areas without the desired level of public transport provision. In  response, the NTA has used its powers under the Dublin Transport Authority Act 2008 to ensure continued public transport services through the provision of subvented public service obligation, PSO, services.

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