Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 21 May 2013
719. Deputy Pearse Doherty asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport if he will outline the way the Public Service Obligation subvention paid to Bus Eireann is calculated and if there has been any change to the calculation basis for 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012 and to date in 2013. [24120/13]
View answer722. Deputy Pearse Doherty asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport if he will confirm the Public Service Obligation payment made to Bus Éireann in each of 2009, 2010, 2011,2012 and proposed for 2013; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24123/13]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 719 and 722 together.
The annual subvention for the provision of public service obligation (PSO) services by Bus Éireann has been subject to contract between the company and the National Transport Authority (NTA) since 2009. The current contract with Bus Éireann was signed in December 2009 and is for a period of five years. The contents of the contract and the basis for maintaining it may be reviewed at any time by the NTA in consultation with Bus Éireann. The National Transport Authority monitors the contracted performance of each PSO operator on a quarterly basis. Contract details are available on the NTA website. The amounts paid to the company in respect of PSO services since 2009 are as follows: 2009, €49.365 million; 2010, €45.039 million; 2011, €43.410 million; and 2012, €36.882 million. The NTA has allocated €34.476 million to Bus Éireann in respect of PSO services for 2013, which equates to a 6.5% reduction on the 2012 amount. It should be noted that the 2012 subvention amount was higher than the 2007 subvention payment of €36.595 million when the economy was at its peak and bus fares were lower. Funding pressures since 2009 have necessitated the introduction of cost-saving measures, increased efficiency in the provision of services, fare increases and reduced subvention.
