Shane Ross (Dublin Rathdown, Independent) | Oireachtas source

As Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport, I have responsibility for policy and overall funding in relation to public transport.

The National Transport Authority, NTA, has statutory responsibility for securing the provision of public passenger transport services nationally. It also has national responsibility for integrated local and rural transport, including management of the Rural Transport Programme, RTP, which now operates under the Local Link brand.

The NTA has advised that in 2018 it embarked on a process to procure transport co-ordination units, TCUs, branded as Local Link offices, to manage the contracted bus services funded under the RTP. The NTA's objective was to establish a process for the procurement of TCUs which is fully in line with all EU and national procurement requirements. The Deputy will appreciate that the procurement of TCU's was run by the NTA and I have no role in the process.

I understand that the existing TCU agreements were due to expire on 31 December 2018 and that the NTA concluded that new TCU agreements must be awarded pursuant to a competitive contract process. Under the procurement process, tenderers were permitted to tender for up to four lots out of a total of 20 lots.

The NTA has confirmed that it intends entering into funding agreements for the provision of transport co-ordination unit services to the preferred tenderers.

The NTA has also confirmed that this procurement process will cause no reduction or change in transport services. The impact of the process will be a change in the local level management of the services but not a change in the services themselves. The outcome will allow TCUs to plan for the longer term with greater certainty, as well as ensuring best value for money for public funds. Moreover, it will allow the NTA to define services required and continue to monitor performance in the delivery of those services, as well as protecting the NTA and the TCUs from any potential state aid issues.

The Deputy has specifically referred to for-profit and non-profit companies in his question. The NTA has confirmed that all companies performing TCU duties on behalf of the NTA over the 2014 to 2018 period were registered charities. The NTA has also advised that all the preferred tenderers to perform TCU duties on behalf of the NTA over the 2019 to 2022 period are also registered charities.

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