Tommy Broughan (Dublin North East, Labour)
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Question 71: To ask the Minister for Transport his plans to fund the provision of 90 extra buses for Dublin Bus; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32815/09]

Noel Dempsey (Meath West, Fianna Fail)
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Transport 21 and the current National Development Plan include Exchequer funding for both new and replacement buses for the development of bus services in the Greater Dublin and provincial areas. No Exchequer funding has been provided in 2009 for additional or replacement buses. As I have indicated previously, arising from the Deloitte Report, my priority for the enhancement of bus services is to ensure the efficient and effective utilisation of the existing bus fleet. In this context, Dublin Bus is engaged in implementing an action plan arising from the Deloitte Report. In the light of progress made on the implementation of the Deloitte Report I will review the requirement for Exchequer funding for buses in the period to 2012.

The Deloitte report concluded that the Dublin Bus fleet is adequate to meet current demand, and that fleet expansion was not an immediate issue. Instead the Deloitte report concluded that the focus should be on optimising the existing network and extracting full value from the existing fleet.