Fergus O'Dowd (Louth, Fine Gael)
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Question 240: To ask the Minister for Transport the reason the 2007 annual accounts of Bus Éireann and Dublin Bus provide only collective profit total for the whole businesses, and do not provide separate financial information for the various divisions, that is the profit-making expressway services and airport services, the school transport operations which are wholly separate from the PSO business, and the PSO business itself; if it would aid the transparency of the accounts to list these items separately; if he will provide the profit figure for each of these three areas for 2007; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [43367/08]

Fergus O'Dowd (Louth, Fine Gael)
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Question 252: To ask the Minister for Transport if he is satisfied that the provision for liabilities and charges of €48.5 million for Bus Éireann and €87.5 million for Dublin Bus are justified; if he has satisfied himself with the accounting treatment of these annual charges in these companies accounts and the release from these provisions after calculation of annual subvention; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [43380/08]

Noel Dempsey (Meath West, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 240 and 252 together.

The annual accounts and financial statements of CIÉ and its subsidiary companies are prepared in accordance with the requirements of the Transport Acts 1950 and 1986 and applicable company law and generally accepted accounting practice, and are subject to independent audit.

The annual accounts include details in the notes to the accounts (Note 18 in the case of Bus Éireann and Note 1 in the case of Dublin Bus) to the 2007 accounts of revenue and costs broken down by commercial and public service obligation services.

The basis for the provisions included in the financial statements of Bus Éireann and Dublin Bus for liabilities and charges, which I understand relate mostly to potential 3rd party and employer liability claims and are based on professional accounting and claims advice, is set out in the notes, to the accounts.