andMr. McQuillan asked the Minister for Transport and Power whether in view of the fact that the policy of C.I.E. in continually increasing passenger and freight rates is making such rates prohibitive to users and inflationary in their effect he will consider repealing the section of the Transport Act which requires the transport services to be run as a profitmaking commercial concern and accept the transport services as essentially a social service requiring subsidy from central funds.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - C.I.E. Passenger and Freight Rates.
103.
The statutory obligation imposed on C.I.E. is to conduct its undertaking so that its operating expenditure, including all charges properly chargeable to revenue, shall not be greater than the revenue of the Board.
I do not, therefore, accept the assumptions in the question, the answer to which is in the negative.
Did the Minister say the figures were not available in relation to particular branches of the service?
Not available in the published accounts.
But the Minister is very quick off the mark when his purpose is the closing of branch lines.
It was considered a specific problem when branch lines were being closed.
Is it not now clear to the Minister that the attempt to make the transport service pay its way has led to this progressive closing of branch lines and that the logic of this policy is that eventually it will be found buses are not paying their way and that we will find buses being taken off and that this will contribute to making it impossible to live in rural Ireland?
If the Deputy will not mind my saying so, I think his example is ridiculous.
How does the Minister think the example is ridiculous when we have seen all around us branch lines being closed down, adding to the great inconvenience of the people living and working in rural Ireland?
I have already dealt with that in a long debate in this House.
The Minister dealt with it to his own satisfaction.
I have received practically no complaints from people living in rural Ireland.
The only way to live in rural Ireland now is to have a motor car.
Or a helicopter.
Does the Minister mean to say that he has had no complaints in relation to areas where branch lines have been closed?
Practically none— very few.
Did I understand the Minister to say that suitable comparable services would be provided in areas where there were closures? Is the Minister aware that in areas in which services have been closed, charges for the transport of goods are 100 per cent. greater than before the services were closed? That increased charge has been passed on by the traders to the consumers.
The Deputy is referring to certain classes of traffic, not to general traffic.
Is the Minister aware that in the city of Dublin people in outlying areas are now clubbing together to hire taxis to go to the centre of the city rather than pay the uneconomic fares now being charged by C.I.E?
That does not arise.
In other words, the Minister wants to close up C.I.E.
Not at all. I want a little competition.
(Interruptions.)