Paul McGrath (Westmeath, Fine Gael)
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Question 1238: To ask the Minister for Transport if an application was made for a road transport licence by Bus Éireann to operate a half hourly service from Galway to Dublin Airport; when this application was received by his Department; when it will be processed; the reason there is such a delay in granting this application; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1314/07]

Paul McGrath (Westmeath, Fine Gael)
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Question 1239: To ask the Minister for Transport the number of road transport licences in use for the Galway to Dublin Airport route by private bus operators; when these licences were issued; the average length of time for processing these licences; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1315/07]

Martin Cullen (Waterford, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 1238 and 1239 together.

I can confirm that my Department received a notification from Bus Éireann on 5th May, 2005, in respect of a proposed service between Galway and Dublin Airport. The processing of that notification was deferred on the grounds that my Department was giving consideration to a number of prior applications from private bus operators for licences or amendments to existing licences for services on and along that route. In addition, my Department informed Bus Éireann that some elements of the proposals were premature where the infrastructure was not yet in place.

The current position in relation to the notification is that, as the consideration of the prior applications for licences and the amendments to existing licences has now been completed, the examination is now proceeding. However, the Department can only deal with the elements of the notification that relate to current infrastructure and the premature elements will remain queued for review at a later date.

The following table gives details of the six current licences operating between Galway and Dublin Airport, the operators concerned, the licence numbers together with the issue and expiry dates of those licenses.

In addition to the licensed services listed above, Bus Éireann also operates their Route 20 daily return services between Galway and Dublin.

Licence applications under the 1932 Act are dealt with on a first come, first served basis. The processing of applications involves detailed analysis to ascertain, for example, the anticipated demand for the service and the extent of any overlap between the proposed service and existing licensed or other public transport services. This can include similar licence applications already received or prior notifications received from Bus Éireann. 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 or notifications received prior to it have been finalised. The average length of time for processing an application depends on the route in question, the number of prior applications received and the complexity of the cases.