Dessie Ellis (Dublin North West, Sinn Fein)
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500. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport to provide figures for the potential additional costs on the Exchequer if his Department were to transfer operation of the Luas to Coras Iompair Éireann at the end of the current contract with Transdev. [3030/16]

Paschal Donohoe (Dublin Central, Fine Gael)
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As the Deputy is aware, the National Transport Authority (NTA) has responsibility for securing the provision of public transport infrastructure and public passenger transport services in accordance with the Dublin Transport Authority Act 2008, as amended by the Public Transport Regulation Act 2009. The NTA has assigned its function in relation to securing the provision of metro or light rail passenger services to Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII) and TII is the relevant statutory authority for all construction, operational and maintenance issues relating to Luas. Section 48 of the Dublin Transport Authority Act 2008 requires a competitive tendering procedure to be used in the award of any light rail public passenger transport services contract. It is therefore not legally permitted to transfer operation of the Luas to any operator following the expiration of a particular contract period. Any such contract can only be awarded following a competitive tendering procedure.

Dessie Ellis (Dublin North West, Sinn Fein)
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501. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport the State funding including capital investment packages received by Transdev or any of its subsidiaries for the operation of the Luas in each of the years since its launch in 2004. [3031/16]

Paschal Donohoe (Dublin Central, Fine Gael)
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​Transdev Ireland has not received any Exchequer funding in respect of its operation of Luas. It is a statutory requirement that light rail passenger services must be procured following a competitive tendering procedure. The most recent contract concluded between the National Transport Authority, Transport Infrastructure Ireland and Transdev Ireland was in September 2014 and the contract period runs until November 2019. Contractual arrangements in relation to Luas are a matter for the National Transport Authority and Transport Infrastructure Ireland.