Enda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

It is very disappointing that talks have broken down and, potentially, there is a catastrophic position for hundreds of thousands of passengers if this spreads throughout the company. The problem is on the Expressway service, which is a commercial service that is not subsidised. The NTA representatives at the transport committee today are focusing on the financial position of Bus Éireann. Of the passengers carried by the company, 81% are on routes that are subsidised under the public service obligation, PSO, contract that Bus Éireann has with the NTA. These services are fully remunerated by the NTA, and the subvention for PSO services by the NTA increased from €24 million in 2014 to €40 million in 2016.

I have no equivocation about supporting a public transport system, as we have with Bus Éireann carrying hundreds of thousands of passengers. The difficulty lies with the commercial Expressway business and that must be addressed for the sake of the workforce in Bus Éireann, including drivers and those who maintain the buses, and also the travelling public. The Minister, Deputy Ross, is very anxious that the machinery of the State would be used, and all the other strikes mentioned by the Deputy have been settled around that table, as this one can and will be too. The Minister has been in touch with the Minister for Social Protection in respect of the current funding levels for the scheme of subvention that is operated, with 81% of passengers carried on those routes. As I stated yesterday, rumours of taking away the free travel system were completely and utterly false.

There will be some further intense, difficult and complicated discussions before this is resolved and it will require direct engagement, one way or the other, between the management and unions. The issues we have seen reported in recent days highlight the internal focus of the problems the company faces. My understanding is the three routes mentioned were for discussion and no decision has been made. There is one to Derry, one to Westport from Athlone and one to Clonmel. They are important routes. The NTA has pointed out that in the event that discussions continue and changes are made to the Expressway service, it will step in and provide connectivity for the public in those areas that would be affected by any change in the Expressway service by Bus Éireann.

I hope this matter can be sorted out in the same way as all others. It is complicated, difficult and tension-filled, but as the Deputy rightly points out, so many other awkward cases have been dealt with and settled through the machinery of the State. I hope at this late stage that unions and management can get together again and work out issues. The Minister is very anxious that this would happen and is focusing on the public service end of any changes that might happen.

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