Fiona O'Malley (Dún Laoghaire, Progressive Democrats)
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Question 424: To ask the Minister for Transport the number of times since 1997 Section 25 of the Transport Act 1958 has been utilised by him to give direction on the licensing of passenger road services; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27324/06]

Martin Cullen (Waterford, Fianna Fail)
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Section 25 (1) of the Transport Act 1958 provides that the consent of the Minister for Transport is required where either Bus Éireann or Dublin Bus wish to introduce or alter a passenger road service where such service would compete with a licensed passenger road service provided by a private bus operator. In accordance with section 25 (2), the decision made by the Minister under section 25 (1) is final.

Services provided by private bus operators are licensed under the Road Transport Act, 1932.

In the absence of any competing service, my Department notes the introduction of new services or alterations to existing services by Bus Éireann and Dublin Bus and section 25 of the 1958 Act does not apply.

The directions under section 25 that have been given in respect of Bus Éireann operations relate to the services connecting Cavan/Dublin, Monaghan/Dublin, Galway/Shannon Airport and Dundalk/Dublin. No directions under section 25 have been issued to Dublin Bus in that time period.

Fiona O'Malley (Dún Laoghaire, Progressive Democrats)
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Question 425: To ask the Minister for Transport the number of licences issued to private bus operators since 2002; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27326/06]

Martin Cullen (Waterford, Fianna Fail)
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The Road Transport Act, 1932 provides the legislative basis for entry to the public transport market by private bus operators. In accordance with this legislation, private bus operators apply to my Department for Passenger Licences to operate coach and bus services within the State.

There are three types of passenger licences issued: Annual Continuous Licence (operates all year round); Annual Seasonal Licence (operates for the season to which it relates i.e. a school or college service, a tour, etc.); Occasional Licence (issued for a specific event i.e. a concert, a sporting event, race week etc.)

In the period since 2002, some 575 licences for new passenger licences for regular scheduled services or amended bus services have been issued. In addition to issuing new Annual licences, each year my Department processes applications for new Occasional passenger licenses for once off events. My Department also processes amendments to existing annual passenger licenses which in turn can lead to a new licence being issued if the amendments are substantial.

As well as new licences, my Department is also required to process applications for the renewal of existing Annual Passenger licenses which fall due for renewal on the 31st August (Seasonal licences) or the 31st October (Continuous licences) each year.

There are currently 364 Annual Continuous Licenses that fall due for renewal on 31st October 2006 and 253 Annual Seasonal Licenses, the majority of which will fall due for renewal on the 31st August, 2006. In addition, to date this year 33 Occasional Licenses have been issued.

Based on the above data and taking into account the licences which may not be renewed or are withdrawn by private bus operators, there are between 600 and 650 valid passenger licences currently in operation.

Fiona O'Malley (Dún Laoghaire, Progressive Democrats)
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Question 426: To ask the Minister for Transport the estimated number of passengers carried per annum by Bus Éireann, Dublin Bus and licensed private bus operators; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27327/06]

Martin Cullen (Waterford, Fianna Fail)
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I am informed by Bus Éireann that the number of passengers carried by the company in 2005 was 48.3 million, exclusive of schoolchildren, and in the case of Dublin Bus the number of passengers carried by the company in 2005 was 146 million. My Department does not have statistics from individual bus operators on the number of passengers carried by them.

Fiona O'Malley (Dún Laoghaire, Progressive Democrats)
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Question 427: To ask the Minister for Transport the measures which are taken to ensure that State subvention of Bus Éireann is never used in an anti-competitive manner to the detriment of private bus operators; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27330/06]

Martin Cullen (Waterford, Fianna Fail)
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State subvention is provided to Bus Éireann in respect of public service obligations only and is not provided in respect of commercial services. It is the responsibility of the Board of CIE to ensure the allocation of funds for loss making services is done in accordance with relevant EU Regulations governing compensation in respect of public service obligations in the transport sector.

Fiona O'Malley (Dún Laoghaire, Progressive Democrats)
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Question 428: To ask the Minister for Transport the average processing time of individual private bus licences from issuing an acknowledgment of receipt to issuing or not of the licence; the action which is underway or planned to reduce this time; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27331/06]

Martin Cullen (Waterford, Fianna Fail)
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The Road Transport Act, 1932 provides the statutory basis for regulating the provision of public bus services by private bus operators in Ireland. Operators are issued annual passenger licences in accordance with the provisions of the Act for the services that they provide on a regular basis. The Act also provides for the issuing of occasional licences for once off occasions such as major sporting events, concerts etc. There are between 600 and 650 passenger licences currently in operation.

In the case of occasional passenger licence applications for a once-off event e.g. hurling final, these applications are processed immediately provided that all the appropriate documentation is in order.

It is difficult to say with certainty the length of time it takes to process an annual passenger licence application. Applications are generally dealt with on a first come, first served basis. However, pressing or exceptional circumstances can be taken into account in determining the order in which applications are dealt with as for example in the case of 'time bound' applications e.g. services for school or college services or tours that are required to start by a certain date.

The processing time for applications can vary for a number of reasons, such as the complexity of the application, the number of prior applications on hand, lack of prompt responses from relevant third parties contacted for their observations on the proposed service, and where relevant information is not provided by the applicant, such as a valid Road Passenger Transport Operators Licence, current Vehicle Insurance Certificates, Public Service Vehicle Licences or approvals for proposed bus stops from the Garda. In addition, in some circumstances, while the preliminary work may have been completed on a particular application, a final decision cannot be made until other relevant applications received prior to it have been finalised.

The continuing increase in the number of licence applications from private operators and notifications of proposed new or amended bus services from Bus Éireann and Dublin Bus received in my Department has also impacted in the determination of licence applications generally.

My Department regularly reviews ways in which to improve the administration of the 1932 Act in so far as resources permit. Recent innovations include the standardisation of renewal dates for licence applications and the provision of guidance notes on the various licensing processes. In addition, the Department is engaged in a project to upgrade IT systems in the bus licensing area to increase efficiency and the speed with which applications are processed.

It has long been recognised that the Road Transport Act 1932, as amended, is in need of significant reform so that the legislative provisions better reflect the realities of modern transport services. The reform programme for the public transport market that I am pursuing will address these needs. My proposals include provision for independent regulation, and the introduction of a new legislative basis for the award of bus route licences that will be applied in respect of all operators. In the meantime, my Department will continue to promote improvements in the administration of the bus licensing service based on the principles of due process and fair procedures.

Fiona O'Malley (Dún Laoghaire, Progressive Democrats)
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Question 429: To ask the Minister for Transport the consideration which is being given to extending the validity time of private bus licences; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27332/06]

Emmet Stagg (Kildare North, Labour)
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Question 437: To ask the Minister for Transport if he has concluded his review of the reform of the bus market; and when he will make a decision on Dublin Bus's application for funding. [27421/06]

Richard Bruton (Dublin North Central, Fine Gael)
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Question 463: To ask the Minister for Transport the timetable for the introduction of bus competition on the Dublin metropolitan network transport; if it is his intention to establish Iarnród Éireann as a separate independent State company; the impact this will have on the existing CIE holding company and the two other subsidiaries, Dublin Bus and Bus Éireann. [27881/06]

Martin Cullen (Waterford, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 429, 437 and 463 together.

I have given a public commitment to modernizing the regulatory framework governing public transport, not just in Dublin, but nationally.

In advancing the regulatory agenda, discussions have taken place with the key stakeholders, including the CIE Companies and the Unions. These discussions form part of a process of engagement that will facilitate and inform the determination of the appropriate structure for the new framework and supporting legislation.

This process is also being informed by the work of the team which I appointed to make recommendations on the remit, structures and human resource requirements of the proposed Dublin Transport Authority. I have received the report of the team and I expect to bring my proposals in the matter to Government in the near future. It is also my intention that these proposals deal with a reorganization of the corporate governance arrangements within CIE with the objective of allowing greater independence to the boards of each of the operating subsidiaries. However, establishing Iarnród Éireann as a separate independent entity does not form part of these current proposals.

My Department is currently considering an application from Dublin Bus for funding for 200 additional buses to be delivered in 2006 and 2007. The application is being considered in the context of Transport 21, the bus network review completed recently by Dublin Bus and the bus market reform process. I expect to make a decision on the application in the coming weeks.