Éamon Ó Cuív (Galway West, Fianna Fail)
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37. To ask the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht the length of the contract for the passenger service to Inishbofin Island, Galway; the reason for this length of contract; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [10562/14]

Jimmy Deenihan (Kerry North-West Limerick, Fine Gael)
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There is a contract in place between my Department and the operator for the provision of a passenger ferry service for Inishbofin for the period from 1 January 2012 until 31 December 2014. Under this contract, my Department subsidises 14 return sailings per week, i.e. 2 per day, all year round. At the time that this contract was advertised, my Department was of the opinion that a three-year contract was the most appropriate, given the economic downturn and uncertainty in regard to its overall budgetary allocation for subsidised transport services in the medium term. The Deputy should note that my Department has contracts of varying duration in place for the provision of subsidised transport services to the offshore islands.