Clare Daly (Dublin North, Socialist Party)
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319. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the amount of money refunded to his Department since 2005 for the scrappage of buses from the school transport scheme in view of the fact that his Department pays for all the depreciation of these buses; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46448/13]

Ciarán Cannon (Galway East, Fine Gael)
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School buses used in the Bus Eireann school bus fleet come from a variety of sources as set out in the Value for Money Review (March 2011). Some are second-hand buses specifically purchased by Bus Eireann for school transport purposes, while others were funded by the Department and attract no depreciation charges. Many of the vehicles were cascaded from the Road Passenger fleet.

Bus Éireann has advised that when these vehicles reach the end of their useful life they have little or no value and often incur disposal charges. On average the Company received in the region of just €240 per vehicle scrapped between 2005 and 2012, and the matter of refunding the amount concerned did not arise. The exception to this was one bus that was fully funded by the Department which was prematurely destroyed by fire in 2008 when still under warranty. In this case the value of the bus, being €165,975, was fully credited back to the Department by Bus Eireann.

Clare Daly (Dublin North, Socialist Party)
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320. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if all the contracts that were awarded to bus operators were awarded in compliance with EU directives and the procedure that was used. [46449/13]

Clare Daly (Dublin North, Socialist Party)
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321. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if there is a pattern in relation to investigation of the awarding of contracts. [46450/13]

Ciarán Cannon (Galway East, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 320 and 321 together.

Bus Éireann has advised that contracts that are awarded to school transport operators as part of the Bus Éireann tender process comply with EU directives. Bus Éireann has further advised that this tendering process is a competitive procurement process conducted in accordance with the Negotiated Procedure.

Clare Daly (Dublin North, Socialist Party)
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322. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if Bus Éireann informed him of the reasons there was a protester outside the Waterford school transport office during summer 2013. [46451/13]

Ciarán Cannon (Galway East, Fine Gael)
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Bus Éireann which operates the school transport schemes, on behalf of my Department, is responsible for the negotiation and awarding of school transport contracts to private operators.

In April 2013, Bus Éireann advised my Department that a protest was mounted outside the Waterford School Transport Office by a school transport contractor who had recently lost contracts.