Michael Ring (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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Question 279: To ask the Minister for Transport if a review has taken place in relation to bus licences over the past number of years; if changes or a decision have been made in this regard; the situation regarding bus licences; if there are restrictions on bus licences; and if it is an open market. [37861/08]

Noel Dempsey (Meath West, 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 accordance with the legislation, private bus operators apply to my Department for licences to operate scheduled bus passenger services within the State.

It is open to any operator to submit proposals to my Department concerning the provision of bus services and my Department will consider any such proposal received. Guidelines for applicants are available from my Department at www.transport.ie. While there are no statutory quantitative restrictions imposed on the availability of licences, all applications are considered within the framework of the 1932 Act and the guidelines deal with such matters as eligibility and the legislative provisions affecting the grant or refusal of a licence.

In general my Department now turns around straightforward applications within a matter of weeks. However, where there are prior applications for licences from other private operators or notifications from State Companies a decision on applications must be deferred until such time as the prior application has been decided.

While there have been improvements to the administration of the licensing system, I have consistently stated that the 1932 Act is in need of review and legislation is being prepared in this regard as a matter of priority. It is my intention that proposals for a new bus licensing regime will be contained in a Public Transport Regulation Bill which will deal with the replacement of the Road Transport Act 1932 and the provisions of the Transport Act 1958 that relate to the provision of bus services by the State Bus Companies. I envisage that the new licensing structure will apply in respect of all commercial bus services, including those provided by Dublin Bus and Bus Éireann. The new Bill will also encompass provisions relating to the subvented bus market outside the Greater Dublin Area.

Michael Ring (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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Question 280: To ask the Minister for Transport if he will provide a complete breakdown of the subsidy which was given to Dublin Bus and to Bus Éireann for the past five years with details of any other subsidy for public transport. [37862/08]

Noel Dempsey (Meath West, Fianna Fail)
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The Exchequer subvention provided to the CIÉ companies to support socially necessary but commercially non-viable public transport services and to fund the interest charges on the borrowings for DART over the past five years is as follows:

Funding for services provided under the Rural Transport Programme over the past five years is as follows:

Fergus O'Dowd (Louth, Fine Gael)
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Question 281: To ask the Minister for Transport the person who is conducting the Dublin Bus efficiency review; the criteria being used to judge efficiency; the terms of reference for the study; the input from international experts or from the private sector; the future investment decisions being delayed until the study is complete; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [38135/08]

Noel Dempsey (Meath West, Fianna Fail)
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The cost and efficiency review of Dublin Bus and Bus Éireann is being carried out by an international consortium of Deloitte, Buchanan and TAS Partnership which has international experience of bus market operation. The terms of reference for the consultancy are as follows: To assess whether the resources (buses, people and funding) currently available to the companies are used in the most effective and efficient way possible to deliver an optimum public transport service and more particularly to:

Assess the effectiveness and appropriateness of the network of services currently provided by Dublin Bus and Bus Éireann for public transport users and of their planning and management of the network including the criteria used for route selection and amendment, frequency setting and adjustment, service variations during weekday/ weekend, extent of peak/off peak provision, integration with other public transport services etc.

Assess the operational efficiency of Dublin Bus & Bus Éireann with particular reference to resource utilisation (including bus scheduling and staff scheduling and rostering) and operational costs. This should include an examination of the utilisation of buses to determine whether the fleet is deployed in the most efficient and effective manner. The assessment should also examine the management of direct costs and overheads and of the issues (e.g. human resource, organisational etc), which might impact on the delivery of services to public transport users.

Identify any issues (e.g. human resource, organisational) adversely impacting on the efficiency, effectiveness and sustainability of service delivery, indicating whether these issues are within management control.

Make recommendations in relation to actions required to enhance efficiency, effectiveness and reliability of the delivery of public transport services. Each recommendation to be assessed in relation to its implications for the financial viability of the companies and the impact on the need for Exchequer support.

While future investment decisions have not been delayed, the funding of further new buses will be considered in the light of the outcome of this review and the available funding. I expect the reviews to be completed in the coming weeks.