Brendan Ryan (Dublin Fingal, Labour)
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63. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport if he will ensure that any privatisation of the public transport network, required under EU rules, should be contingent on maintaining disability access on these routes or providing disability access in which none already exists; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [38762/16]

Shane Ross (Dublin Rathdown, Independent)
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Under the Dublin Transport Authority Act 2008 it is a statutory function of the National Transport Authority (NTA) to determine the appropriate mix of directly awarded and competitively tendered bus services.  In line with its statutory authority, and following a public consultation process, the NTA announced in December 2013 that some 10% of routes currently operated by Dublin Bus and by Bus Éireann under their Direct Award contracts with the NTA would be subject to competitive tendering.

It is incorrect to describe competitive tendering as privatisation as nothing is being sold, services are not being deregulated and control remains with the NTA.  The tendering process will allow the State capture potential benefits as regards value for money in terms of the use of taxpayers' money in securing the provision of public transport passenger services.

The tendering processes in respect of these competitions are on-going and the NTA expect to announce the successful operators in 2017.  The NTA will then enter into public transport services contracts with the successful operators and will apply the same level of control of tendered routes as it does to the routes which are at present operated by Dublin Bus and Bus Éireann under their contracts with the NTA.

The NTA will continue to determine routes, schedules, vehicle types and standards, fares and the customer service requirements, including accessibility standards in respect of the bus services to be provided by the successful tenderers so that quality standards can be safeguarded.