Written answers

Wednesday, 4 May 2016

Department of Education and Skills

School Transport Tendering

Photo of Michael McGrathMichael McGrath (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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244. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills further to Parliamentary Question No. 999 of 3 November 2015, the reasons for the decisions each year; and the reason her Department or Bus Éireann did not have a European Union tender process for the private operator school transport bus services under the European Union public procurement law from 1 July 1993, when the law was changed here until the school year 2011-2012, given that she indicated that Bus Éireann is obliged to tender in line with the European directive. [8888/16]

Photo of Michael McGrathMichael McGrath (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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245. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills further to Parliamentary Question No. 999 of 3 November 2015, if it is appropriate to withhold information from Dáil Éireann that her Department was not compliant with European Union public procurement laws in making direct awards to private bus contractors for school bus services from 1 July 1993 to May 2011. [8889/16]

Photo of Damien EnglishDamien English (Meath West, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 244 and 245 together.

The Deputy will be aware that Bus Éireann, which operates the school transport scheme on behalf of my Department, is responsible for the procurement of contractors to provide transport services under the School Transport Scheme.

Bus Éireann has advised that the current utilities directive which applies to the Company in relation to this matter is Directive 2014/25/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council of 26 February 2014 on procurement by entities operating in the water, energy, transport and postal services sectors and repealing Directive 2004/17/EC.

Bus Éireann has also advised that it has always had a competitive process in place for the award of school transport contracts, albeit not as developed as the process in place since 2011. Prior to 2011, Bus Éireann local school transport offices placed advertisements in local and national newspapers each year. When private bus operators made application they were considered for inclusion on a panel of suitable operators. As work became available service providers on these panels were invited to submit a quotation for those services. In these cases a request for a quotation was sought from a minimum of three suitable operators where possible.

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