Shane Ross (Dublin Rathdown, Independent) | Oireachtas source

As I have already stated in reply to Deputy Troy, an 8% increase in the overall Exchequer funding for PSO services will be distributed across the bus and rail networks. As is normal the allocations to the companies, including Iarnród Éireann will not be decided by me. It is consistently peddled in this House that somehow I have got an involvement in the day to day running of, or allocations to the individual Córas Iompair Éireann, CIÉ, companies. I have not. This will be decided, and rightly so, by the NTA in the exercise of its statutory mandate in accordance with the various contract arrangements in place with public service providers. Using dramatic words such as being on the verge of collapse is a repetitive narrative but Iarnród Éireann is in a very critical financial situation. That is no secret. The rail review has made recommendations and pointed out the crying need that this and all the CIÉ companies have for capital.

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