Tommy Broughan (Dublin North East, Labour)
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Question 193: To ask the Minister for Transport when the Dublin Transport Authority will be fully operational; when he will appoint the chief executive officer to the new DTA; if he will transform the DTA into a national transport regulator; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2522/09]

Noel Dempsey (Meath West, Fianna Fail)
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My Department is proceeding with preparations for the establishment of the Dublin Transport Authority (DTA) as soon as possible during 2009. A key part of those preparations is the recruitment of a Chief Executive Officer and the necessary recruitment process is now underway. The Agreed Programme for Government includes a commitment to reform bus licensing to facilitate the optimum provision of services by providing a level playing field for all market participants. The Government Programme also contains a commitment to examine the need for a National Transport Regulator in the context of the overall review of the economic regulatory environment.

The Government recently approved the General Scheme of the Public Transport Regulation Bill, which contains proposals for:

a new bus licensing regime which will replace 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;

extending nationally the provisions of the DTA Act 2008 in relation to the provision of public service obligations;

assigning responsibility to the DTA for bus licensing and public transport services contracts nationwide;

the amalgamation of the Commission for Taxi Regulation into the DTA, and

the renaming of the DTA as the National Transport Authority given its proposed national focus in relation to commercial bus licensing, future bus and rail subvention and the regulation of small public service vehicles.

In the light of the recent Government approval of the General Scheme, the Public Transport Regulation Bill will be now drafted and published as soon as possible.