Róisín Shortall (Dublin North West, Labour)
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Question 809: To ask the Minister for Transport further to sections 11 and 15 of the Road Transport Act 1932, the number of licence applications and renewals refused in the past five years; the identity of the applicant and licence holder in each case; the route in each case; and the reason for the refusal in each case. [25693/05]

Róisín Shortall (Dublin North West, Labour)
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Question 810: To ask the Minister for Transport the number of bus licences that were revoked in each of the past five years; the identity of the applicant and licence holder in each case, the route in each case; and the reason for the refusal in each case. [25694/05]

Martin Cullen (Waterford, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 809 and 810 together.

My Department does not make public details of applicants for licensed public transport services or for the renewal of annual passenger licences issued in accordance with the Road Transport Act 1932, as amended, or indeed of any appeals that are under consideration, as such information is considered to be commercially sensitive. A copy of a licence once issued, however, is a public document and is available free of charge from my Department.

Therefore, the details provided below in response to the Deputy's question exclude the applicant's name but include summary details of the proposed route and the reasons for refusal. I also wish to confirm that there have been no licences revoked by my Department in the past five years. The following applications and renewals have been refused in the past five years.

Róisín Shortall (Dublin North West, Labour)
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Question 811: To ask the Minister for Transport the way in which monitoring by his officials of activity and compliance by bus licence holders is accounted for within his Department; the number of staff dedicated to monitoring on a full-time basis; if he will report on outcomes and activity levels; the number of fines and penalties imposed under the Act for each of the past five years; and his views on the adequacy of the current arrangements. [25695/05]

Martin Cullen (Waterford, Fianna Fail)
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Section 7 of the Road Transport Act 1932, as amended, requires that every person who carries on a passenger road service in contravention of the Act shall be guilty of an offence and shall be liable, on summary conviction, to a fine not exceeding approximately €70. In the case of a continuing offence, a further fine not exceeding approximately €7 for every day during which the offence continues.

Enforcement of the provisions of the Road Transport Act 1932 is the responsibility of the Garda Síochána. The Garda Síochána has prosecuted cases for offences against section 7 of the 1932 Act, as amended. My Department does not have data on the number of fines and penalties imposed in such cases.

There are 16 staff employed in the bus licensing division of my Department. Some staff carry out monitoring exercises as part of their duties. These monitoring exercises involve reviewing the bus operations of licence holders for compliance with their licences; investigating complaints in relation to the operation of bus services, and assessing demand for services in the case of applications for new services or expanded services.

Where breaches have been observed, my Department pursues the matter with the licence holder with a view to the withdrawal of any unlicensed activity. The 1932 Act also provides the power to refuse to renew a licence where there have been frequent and grave breaches of the conditions of a licence. Transport officers in my Department who have responsibility for the enforcement of transport and road haulage issues occasionally also provide assistance to the staff of the bus licensing division in monitoring passenger road services.

Given the limits of the existing road transport legislation, there is clearly a need to modernise this legislation. The draft proposals being developed for a new regulatory regime for public transport services will include more robust enforcement powers and significantly increased penalties for breaches of licences.