Paul McGrath (Westmeath, Fine Gael)
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Question 576: To ask the Minister for Transport the amount of subsidy which was payable to each airline company which operates to each of the regional airports in 2004; and if he will compute these figures to reflect the amount of subsidy per passenger carried to each airport. [10735/05]

Martin Cullen (Waterford, Fianna Fail)
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Under EU regulations, certain air services are operated under public service obligation, PSO, contracts with my Department.

Aer Arann is contracted to provide scheduled air services on routes linking Dublin with regional airports in Kerry, Galway, Knock, Sligo and Donegal. Loganair operates on the Dublin-Derry PSO route.

The level of subvention payable in respect of services provided during the 2004 calendar year is currently being finalised. It is estimated that the final figures for the 2004 calendar year will be as follows:

Based on the above figures, the average amount of subvention payable per passenger for each one-way flight in 2004, would be as follows:

Existing PSO contracts expire on 21 July 2005. New specifications and contractual arrangements have been devised with a view to achieving greater value for money under the next PSO programme. An EU procurement process for the next three-year round of PSO contracts is currently nearing completion.

Paul McGrath (Westmeath, Fine Gael)
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Question 577: To ask the Minister for Transport the amount of subsidy awarded to Dublin Bus and Bus Éireann in 2004; and if he will compute these figures to reflect the subsidy per passenger journey. [10736/05]

Martin Cullen (Waterford, Fianna Fail)
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The Exchequer provided €61.8 million to Dublin Bus in 2004 for public service obligations. The company carried 149 million passengers in that year and the Exchequer payment, therefore, amounted to approximately 40 cent per passenger.

The Exchequer provided €23.998 million to Bus Éireann in 2004 for public service obligations. No Exchequer payment was made in regard to commercial Expressway services provided by Bus Éireann. Bus Éireann carried 48 million passengers in 2004, of whom 39 million were carried on provincial city, Dublin commuter and rural stage carriage services. The Exchequer payment per passenger in respect of these public service obligations bus services was 62 cent.

Paul McGrath (Westmeath, Fine Gael)
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Question 578: To ask the Minister for Transport the amount of subsidy awarded to Irish Rail, DART and Luas in 2004; and if he will compute these figures to reflect the subsidy per passenger journey. [10737/05]

Martin Cullen (Waterford, Fianna Fail)
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The total Exchequer payment for public service obligations to Iarnród Éireann in 2004 was €171.421 million, of which €1.055 million was in respect of DART interest payments. Total passenger journeys on Iarnród Éireann services numbered 34.6 million. The Exchequer payment for each passenger was, therefore, €4.92.

The total Exchequer payment to the Railway Procurement Agency for the operation of Luas services in 2004 was €1.573 million. In 2004 the Luas carried 6.6 million passengers. This equates to an Exchequer payment of 24 cent per passenger. It should be noted that, based on current forecasts, the requirement for Exchequer funding to meet the cost of operational deficits on Luas red and green lines will cease after 2006.