Feargal Quinn (Independent)

Yes. The Minister addressed my concerns and the plastic bag levy is a good example of how to achieve a specific objective. As a member of the boards of a couple of international bodies, I have become an advocate for similar legislation elsewhere. I fail to understand the reason other countries have chosen not to adopt the plastic bag levy and have opted instead for other measures.

The legislation before us is tricky because the Minister must take into account previous legislation, both comparatively recent in origin and Acts dating back to 1932 and 1958. Senator Ellis noted that some of us were old enough to remember certain things. I am not old enough to remember Dublin in the 1930s but, as my father told me, no one queued for buses at that time. As a result, CIE appointed inspectors to visit bus stops to get people to queue. Within a few weeks, the practice of queuing became established. It may be necessary to have inspectors do this again because I understand some newcomers from countries without a tradition of queuing engage in battles to board buses in the centre of Dublin and elsewhere. Perhaps we need to remind ourselves of that.

The provisions of the Bill raise the question as to what the Department of Transport does and whether we need a new quango. We have become accustomed to establishing State agencies to perform functions previously done by Departments. While I am an enthusiast for transferring departmental functions to State agencies, I question whether it is always the correct approach.

For obvious reasons, I welcome the recognition in the Bill that we need transport to be devolved to local government rather than centralised. I am concerned, however, that the Minister has indicated his intention to give the new national transport authority a nationwide remit. This means the new authority will be responsible for commercial bus route licensing and the allocation of public transport subventions nationally. It will also oversee local and county development plans. This decision runs contrary to the decision to establish the Dublin Transport Authority in the first place. The capital needs a transportation authority, as do all large metropolitan areas. I hope Dublin's needs will not be marginalised as a result of the establishment of the new national transport authority.

The Bill includes many positive developments. Are there plans for improving the service for customers of Dublin Bus or bus services in general in an upfront and tangible manner? Ireland lags behind in certain areas, for example, in introducing a system of real time electronic timetables under which an estimated time of arrival is provided at each bus stop. Such a system would not be difficult to introduce in such technologically advanced times. There is already such an efficient system in place in Vienna, Austria, where the buses actually arrive at the time indicated on the electronic timetable. I have also seen a similar system in Munich. It is probably used in many other European cities also. Such a system would greatly benefit bus passengers here, so I would like to know if the new national transport authority has plans to introduce a system along those lines.

I note that the new head of the national transport authority has already been appointed, but surely we should also look to European cities to see how to run a transport network efficiently. What we have had to date is a light rail system with two lines that do not interconnect, and so-called quality bus corridors, which do seem to work. Some €19 million of taxpayers' money has been spent since 2002 on an integrated smartcard ticketing system that will not be fully available to commuters in Dublin until next year at the earliest. I would like to know if we will be getting any real experts from Europe to show us and the national transport authority how they do it elsewhere, taking inspiration from others and adapting to what the private sector is all about. The public sector must do the same.

With this Bill we must ensure public transport licensing for new companies is fair, efficient and speedy. I get frustrated at the length of time things take. As we all know, getting decisions on such matters usually takes several months if not years. Perhaps an amendment is needed to the Bill to put a time limit on how long the national transport authority will have in order to consider applications for public transport licensing. I wonder how efficient the new national transport authority will be in this respect.

I welcome the fact the monopoly of Dublin Bus is being tackled. The Bill recognises that its special treatment needs to end. However, I am concerned that certain private operators could be favoured and allowed to cherry-pick their routes. It was interesting to hear Senator Ellis who spoke about the need for tendering and avoiding political cronyism in future.

When I became chairman of what was then called An Bord Phoist, which later became An Post, I could not get over the number of letters I received seeking jobs and particular favours. I remember being very blunt in my answers, which said "No". The Minister at the time asked me to be a bit less blunt, saying "Don't you know that when the local TD writes to you, he really is not expecting anything other than to be able to go back to his constituent and say 'Look, I did write to the chairman and got a letter back'?" Such letters were often written in first name terms. The Minister asked me to be less blunt, even though he said he was not expecting me to do anything. I fear the danger of cronyism occurring at some point in the future.

An efficient transport system is vital to our economy, but it is estimated that Bus Éireann will not have a fully integrated ticketing system until 2012. This means it will have been ten years in development. It seems to take so long. I hope the new NTA will be more successful in resolving such matters.

I wish to raise one or two other issues. The Minister has not indicated whether the new NTA legislation will slow down the establishment of a much-needed transport regulator for the greater Dublin area. He has also failed to provide a timeline for establishing the NTA or to report on how it will be financed. Perhaps the Minister did so, but I may have missed it.

Many taxi drivers have indicated that they hope the development will provide an opportunity for serious reform of the regulatory system that oversees their industry. The taxi system has been hugely improved in recent years. It is fair to say that this is the result of work by the previous Minister, Mr. Bobby Molloy, and that his PD colleagues pushed hard for it. I can remember attempting to bring a big conference to Dublin in 1999 or 2000. In the week the decision was due to be made, the chief executive came from Paris and had a lovely meal. He then asked for a taxi to his hotel but was told he might have to wait two hours because it was not possible to get one. We must recognise the huge benefits that have come about from deregulation. I do not have much sympathy for those taxi drivers who say it is not fair, that there are too many taxis and they have to wait too long for fares. It is almost like saying we should put a restriction on the number of grocers because it is not fair to grocers who cannot survive because other grocers are taking business away from them. I am fully in favour of deregulation and competition. Those who succeed will be those who provide the best service in some form or another.

I am concerned about the need to cut costs, although it will have to be done. To what extent is the free travel scheme being questioned? I cannot remember whether it is in the report of an bord snip. When it was introduced it was a simple decision, originally for the elderly who were to travel only in off-peak times. Obviously, if there were empty seats it made sense to fill them. Over the years the scheme was increased and was very welcome. I came across somebody recently who is not badly off and who goes on holidays to Kerry for the summer. However, because she has free travel, she always takes the train from Killarney to Dublin and the Luas to Dundrum just to visit her hairdresser. It is a nice way to spend the day. I mention that because there is clearly a cost to us if seats are filled and have to be used. I am not advocating that we should step away from free travel but perhaps it is time to examine whether we could be more efficient in operating the scheme.

I welcome the Bill's objective and believe the legislation can be improved. I am sure the Minister will listen attentively to amendments on Committee Stage, as he has done in the past. The Bill will be improved by such amendments.