Tommy Broughan (Dublin North East, Labour)
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To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport if he will report on the extra subvention of €36 million being allocated to CIE; his plans to support and maintain public transport services in 2013; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [52246/12]

Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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On 24th July last, the Government decided to provide additional funding of €36 million to CIÉ to ensure that the companies could continue to operate for the rest of 2012. This would bring the total subvention for this year to €278m, higher than the subvention level for 2010 and is the fifth highest level of subvention ever. To date €16 million of the additional subvention has been paid by the National Transport Authority to CIÉ and the remaining allocation will be paid before the end of 2012.

The Government plans to again allocate very significant funds to support and maintain public transport services across the country in 2013. There will however also be a need for further cost efficiencies to be achieved so that the public transport system can be effectively delivered.

My Department and the National Transport Authority are working with public transport operators to increase the efficiency and attractiveness of existing public transport services.  We are not in a financial position to make further significant investment in our public transport network but we can get a better return from our existing public transport system, through targeted investment, better use of resources and by using smart technology to make public transport more responsive and user friendly.

Targeted investment is essential in these financially straitened times. An example is the Luas BXD project to link the LUAS lines. Government has also continued to invest in the bus companies, including the recent decision to purchase 80 new buses for Dublin Bus at a cost of €26m and 60 new buses for Bus Éireann in 2011 at a cost to the Exchequer of €19m. Considerable funding has also taken place in recent years on measures to make public transport more attractive such as the Leap Card, Real Time Passenger Information, Automatic Vehicle Location (AVL) and providing wi-fi.

CIÉ is progressing the preparation of a revised 5-year Business Plan to address the underlying financial challenges facing CIÉ so that the CIÉ’s public transport services can be provided efficiently and cost effectively over the Plan period.