Joe McHugh (Donegal North East, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context

Question 277: To ask the Minister for Social Protection with regard to Pobal funding granted by the Department to Bus Éireann and to private operators in County Donegal, if she will provide the free travel pass budget and the way it is allocated; the total budget allocated to the free travel pass scheme nationally; the persons eligible to draw down from this budget and the criteria or technical requirements; the Bus Éireann allocation for County Donegal; the private operators allocation for County Donegal; the break down of the number of operators and the amount awarded to each; the actual monetary amount per passenger journey; the way this is awarded and monitored; if it is calculated per passenger carried and allocated on a reimbursable basis on block amount or per year; if there is any form of compensation awarded due to extreme remoteness and high level of deprivation in County Donegal; if a service is discontinued by the operator, the position regarding the awarded allocation toward that service; the result of the most recent value for money and performance audit; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [47833/10]

Éamon Ó Cuív (Galway West, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context

The total estimated budget allocation for the Free Travel scheme for 2010 was €77 million. This includes an allocation to Pobal of € 1.5 million for funding to Rural Transport Programmes throughout Ireland. The estimated provision for 2011 is also €77 million and the apportionment of this funding will not be available until early in the New Year.

Participation in the Free Travel Scheme is open to public and private transport operators who wish to participate in the scheme subject to my Department' s guidelines and Department of Transport criteria. Rates of payment are reviewed annually and adjusted on the basis of changes in rates of fares and numbers of eligible customers. Payment is made on the basis of fares foregone.

My Department pays the CIÉ Group centrally in respect of transport services provided and the apportionment of payments per county is a matter for the CIÉ Group.

The following is a breakdown of the number of private operators and amount awarded to each in County Donegal for 2009.

Payment is made to operators on the basis of 70% of cost of passenger journey and detailed passenger activity data presented by the operators. Operators currently invoice my Department on a monthly/bi-monthly /quarterly basis having regard to passenger usage but this is in the process of being changed. With effect from 2011 all operators are being requested to submit their invoices on a monthly basis.

Route analysis, provision of transport services and the review to which the Deputy refers are all matters for my colleague, the Minister for Transport.