asked the Minister for Transport and Power if he is aware that in the 1975 Annual Report of CIE the various working accounts have been charged with an expense "Operating and Other Expenses" and that this expense totals £52,655,166 and has been allocated over eight of the nine working accounts; and, if so, if he will state (i) if this charge includes administration costs of CIE and/or other indirect costs, (ii) the indirect expenses and their value that are included in the expense headings "other Expenses" or "Operating Expenses", (iii) the accounting basis or bases that have been adopted in the 1975 report for determining the amount of operating and other expenses which are chargeable against the separate working accounts; if he will consider instructing CIE to publish their accounts in a more informative manner by indicating in the working accounts only those charges which are directly related to the activity recorded by the working account and by the compilation of a separate revenue account for indirect expenses which are not related to any one operating activity; and if he will state the rates that are payable on CIE property at Broadstone Station/Depot and where these rates are charged in the working accounts for 1975.
Written Answers. - CIE Accounts.
Cavan): I am so aware.
The replies to questions (i) and (iii) are as follows:—(i) All expenses incurred by CIE are allocated to the relevant operating or engineering activity in each case. The administration, indirect and all other costs—with the exception of fuel, road tax and licences, depreciation and financial charges which are shown separately— are, therefore, incorporated in the following charges to the appropriate working accounts:—maintenance of lines and works, renewal of lines and works, maintenance of buildings, maintenance of rolling stock, vehicles and equipment, operating and other expenses. (ii) and (iii) The information requested is not available in my Department.
I am satisfied that the board's annual accounts are sufficiently informative and I do not propose to instruct CIE to make the changes requested by the Deputy.
I am informed by CIE that the rates payable on the Broadstone Depot were allocated in the 1975 annual accounts to the road passenger/provincial services and road freight working accounts. The amount of the rates payable is a matter of day-to-day administration of CIE.