Timmy Dooley (Clare, Fianna Fail)
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609. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport if he will provide in tabular form a breakdown in the reduction of expenditure of €18 million in his Department's budget for public transport contracts; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [44573/13]

Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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The bulk of the cut of €18 million in current expenditure for public transport relates to the Public Service Obligation subvention payable to the National Transport Authority (NTA). This is in line with commitments made under the Comprehensive Expenditure Review.

The total PSO subvention payable to the NTA for 2014 will be €209.7m. (a reduction of €16.8m. from 2013).  The allocation of the 2014 subvention, including the amount payable to the three CIÉ subsidiaries, will be decided by the NTA in accordance with their PSO contracts with the companies. The CIE Group Business Plan has already factored in the expected cut in PSO subvention in 2014. The CIE Group has negotiated improved bank facilities in relation to re-financing of the Group, which will ensure that it has sufficient funding into the future.

The remainder of the reduction (€1.2m) relates to payments to the Railway Procurement Agency, Railway Safety Commission and the NTA. Efficiencies in operational costs of the transport agencies will produce the savings identified.