Vol. 572 No. 3
147 Mr. Howlin asked the Minister for Transport the position regarding his proposals for the restructuring of CIE; the discussions he has had with the trade unions representing CIE workers on these proposals; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23120/03]
In my statement to the Public Transport Partnership Forum in November 2002, I set out my proposals to dissolve CIE and establish Bus Átha Cliath, Bus Éireann and Iarnród Éireann as independent commercial State companies. It is my intention to proceed with these proposals in line with the commitment in An Agreed Programme for Government. At present the focus is on the detailed preparatory work required to implement my restructuring proposals.
I have met with the trade unions on a number of occasions to discuss the package of reform proposals outlined in my statement. While these discussions have dealt primarily with the regulatory issues, they also touched on the restructuring of CIE.
The current discussions which my Department is having with the trade unions representing CIE workers are focused on regulatory matters.
