Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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Question 283: To ask the Minister for Transport the number of private bus operation licences granted in Dublin in each of the past five years; the routes served; the date on which the application for the licence was made; the date on which it was approved; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30583/07]

Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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Question 284: To ask the Minister for Transport the number of private bus operation licences in Dublin that have been refused in each of the past five years; the routes that would have been served; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30584/07]

Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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Question 285: To ask the Minister for Transport the new routes to be operated by Dublin Bus that have been approved in the past three years; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30585/07]

Noel Dempsey (Meath West, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 283 to 285, inclusive, together.

The information requested by the Deputy available to my Department is currently being collated and will be forwarded to the Deputy in the coming days.

The Road Transport Act, 1932 as amended, provides the statutory basis for regulating the provision of public bus services by private bus operators. The Act provides for the grant of annual continuous licences, annual seasonal licences and occasional licences.

Section 11 of the Act establishes specific criteria for the determination of applications, which provide that

The service is required in the public interest having regard to the passenger road services and other forms of passenger transport available to the public on or in the neighbourhood of the route of the proposed service

Whether the service is sufficient in terms of frequency and duration to meet the requirements of the public

Whether the applicant has the organisation and equipment necessary to carry out the service.

Failure to meet the test established by reference to those criteria will result in the refusal of an application.

Information relating to applications that are being processed or applications that were not approved, including details relating to the identity of the applicant and the services to which the application relates are commercially sensitive to the operator concerned and are treated as confidential and will not form part of the information to be supplied.

Dublin Bus is not subject to licensing in accordance with the provisions of the 1932 Road Transport Act, as amended. However, the initiation or alteration of a bus service by the Company is subject to compliance with the necessary regulatory requirement of giving advance notice to my Department and to compliance with the provisions of Section 25 of the Transport Act 1958 concerning competition with licensed private operators. The details of all current licences issued to private operators are available to view on my Department's website. All services in operation by Dublin Bus are available on that Company's website and are listed in the Company's scheduled timetable.