Mary Lou McDonald
Question:1695. Deputy Mary Lou McDonald asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport if his Department know whether Bus Éireann makes a profit from school transport. [38676/13]
View answerDáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 18 September 2013
1695. Deputy Mary Lou McDonald asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport if his Department know whether Bus Éireann makes a profit from school transport. [38676/13]
View answer1696. Deputy Mary Lou McDonald asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport if he ever acknowledged to anybody that Bus Éireann makes a profit from school transport. [38682/13]
View answer1697. Deputy Mary Lou McDonald asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport the reason he did not meet with Student Transport Scheme Limited and the consortium participants who are a US school bus manufacturer and school transport operators when they requested a meeting in relation to the school transport scheme and putting it out to tender. [38683/13]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 1695 to 1697, inclusive, together.
Responsibility for the school transport scheme lies with my colleague, Ciarán Cannon, T.D., Minister for Training and Skills. Both my Secretary General and I have responded to correspondence from a number of parties regarding school transport and, while indicating that my Department has no role in the scheme, it has been clearly stated that it is our understanding the scheme operates on a cost recovery basis and Bus Éireann does not make a profit on the scheme in any commercial sense.
I have not acceded to requests for a meeting from Student Transport Scheme Limited as I have no role in relation to the scheme and the issue remains a matter of proceedings before the courts.