Robert Troy (Longford-Westmeath, Fianna Fail)
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1421. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport the cost of restoring PSO subvention levels to those of 2008. [1259/18]

Shane Ross (Dublin Rathdown, Independent)
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The allocation for the Public Service Obligation (PSO) is subject to the annual Budgetary process. As the Deputy is aware last year I committed publicly to further increasing Public Service Obligation (PSO) funding levels in the future as resources allowed. PSO subvention increased in both 2016 and 2017 and will increase yet further this year. In Budget 2018 I secured an 8% increase in the overall Exchequer funding available for PSO services throughout the country. nThis means that in 2018 €285 million will be allocated via the National Transport Authority (NTA) to support the continued delivery of these socially necessary but financially unviable services that have grown in recent years.

Public Service Obligation (PSO) subvention provided in 2008 - the year of record funding - was €308 million. Therefore the total funding committed toward the PSO programme in 2018 now stands at approximately 93% of the 2008 figure.

As is normal, the precise allocations to the companies will be decided by the NTA in exercise of its statutory mandate and in accordance with the various contract arrangements that it has in place with PSO service providers.