Pauline Tully (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)
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47. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport his plans to increase funding to the National Transport Authority and Bus Éireann to enable them to increase the capacity of overprescribed bus routes such as the 109x Dublin to Cavan bus route; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20808/23]

Eamon Ryan (Dublin Bay South, Green Party)
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As Minister for Transport, I have responsibility for policy and overall funding in relation to public transport; however, I am not involved in the day-to-day operations of public transport. The National Transport Authority (NTA) has statutory responsibility for securing the provision of public passenger transport services nationally and for the scheduling and timetabling of these services in conjunction with the relevant transport operators.

This Government is firmly committed to enhancing and expanding our public transport services provision across the country. To support this objective, in Budget 2023, I secured a €563million funding package to support the PSO services. The funding allocation for PSO public transport services for 2024 will be subject to the annual Budgetary process and therefore the allocations for 2024 are yet to be determined in the context of future Estimates processes.

Since 2010, the award of Public Service Obligation (PSO) funding falls under the independent statutory remit of the National Transport Authority (NTA). The allocations to the transport operators for the provision of public transport services are 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.

Therefore, in light of the NTA's responsibility in this area, I have forwarded the Deputy's question in relation to possible plans to increase funding to Bus Éireann to enable them to increase the capacity of overprescribed bus routes such as the 109x Dublin to Cavan bus route, to the NTA for direct reply. Please advise my private office if you do not receive a response within ten working days.