Pádraic McCormack (Galway West, Fine Gael)
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Question 150: To ask the Minister for Transport his proposals to ensure that all private and public buses will be accessible for disabled people; when it is expected that this will be implemented; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24553/07]

Noel Dempsey (Meath West, Fianna Fail)
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My Department's Sectoral Plan under the Disability Act 2005, titled Transport Access for All, contains time bound targets for the progressive realisation of accessible transport in Ireland. In general, the timescales for the various elements of the Plan are expected to be completed within the ten year timeframe of Transport 21.

The Plan envisages that by end 2012 all urban bus services will be fully accessible and that by 2015 practically all vehicles to be used for stage carriage and rural services will be wheelchair accessible and incorporate facilities to assist people with mobility, cognitive and sensory impairments.

Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)
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Question 151: To ask the Minister for Transport if his attention has been drawn to the fact that a company (details supplied) has recently ceased providing a service to Malin Head and Manorcunningham village in County Donegal and is expected to scale down its services further to sustain its overall business; the reason that his Department ceased the provision of a subsidy to this company for providing this public service to the people of north Donegal and Derry city in the 1980s and has failed to resume the provision of subsidies since; and the reason his Department has not intervened to ensure that the people of north Donegal have the same level of public transport as elsewhere in the State. [24596/07]

Noel Dempsey (Meath West, Fianna Fail)
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My Department has issued Annual Passenger Licences and International Authorisations issued under EU law to the Londonderry & Lough Swilly Railway Company (LLSR), enabling them to provide public bus services in the North West Donegal region and services to and from destinations in Northern Ireland. LLSR recently applied to my Department to amend their licences and authorisations to reflect their proposed winter schedule which the company wanted to introduce from 03 September 2007. This included the withdrawal of services from the Malin Head area and Manorcunningham village.

While the withdrawal of any service is regretted, the provision of bus services on specific routes is a commercial and operational matter for bus operators provided they comply with the relevant legislation. It is open to any operator to apply to my Department for a licence or International Authorisation to provide bus services in the area. There is currently no legal framework enabling my Department to pay subvention to private operators.