Vol. 577 No. 5
168 Mr. J. Bruton asked the Minister for Transport if he will implement the recommendations of the report on bus and rail passenger transport presented by the Competition Authority in 2001; if not, the recommendations that have not been implemented; the reason the report has not been implemented; and when it will be implemented. [31901/03]
The Competition Authority submitted a copy of its paper, entitled Report on the Bus and Rail Passenger Transport Sector, to the then Department of Public Enterprise. This was done in response to its discussion paper A New Institutional and Regulatory Framework for Public Transport published in August 2000.
The authority's recommendations were given careful consideration in the preparation of the proposals for reform of the public transport market. I outlined the proposals in my statement to the Public Transport Partnership Forum in November 2002. The authority issued a statement on 8 November 2002 warmly welcoming my proposals and describing them as "an important step in the regulatory reform agenda."
At present discussions on reform of the regulatory framework for public transport are taking place between my Department, CIE trade unions and the managements of Bus Átha Cliath and Bus Éireann. As I have indicated on a number of occasions previously, I intend to proceed with the necessary legislation in 2004. Technical preparatory work is under way in my Department.
