asked the Minister for Transport and Power the profit earned by CIE on Dublin City road passenger services during the year ended 31st March, 1962.
44.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - CIE Profit on Dublin City Bus Services.
43.
asked the Minister for Transport and Power if he is aware that the Chairman of CIE has refused to inform a Member of the Dáil as to what profit is earned by CIE on the operation of Dublin City transport services, while admitting at the same time that the information requested is known to him; and if he will direct the Board of CIE under section 34 of the Transport Act, 1950 to include in their accounts this basic information.
With your permission, a Cheann Comhairle, I propose taking Questions Nos. 43 and 44 together. CIE is required by law to provide public transport services throughout the country and to conduct the whole undertaking so as to ensure that, not later than 31st March, 1964, expenditure shall not be greater than revenue. It would be invidious therefore for CIE to publish separate accounts for different areas of the country. Accordingly, I do not propose to direct CIE to publish such information with its annual accounts.
Would the Minister say if he has any objection to disclosure by CIE of the profits made on Dublin city passenger services? Further, will he say if the profits are, in fact, in the region of £1 million per year and that the citizens of Dublin are getting very poor service for this amount?
If the Deputy refers to the accounts of CIE and to the accounts of road passenger working, taken as a whole, he will find that the profits are nothing like what he describes and he will also note that the proportion of fixed charges, such as interest on capital, has not been debited against that particular account. In regard to the rest of the Deputy's question, I can assure him that I will give a very full reply to his supplementary question when I have the opportunity of speaking again on the Estimate for my Department.
Could the Minister not tell us now whether profits were earned by CIE on the Dublin services?