School Transport Administration

Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 4 June 2014

Wednesday, 4 June 2014

Questions (63)

Seán Fleming

Question:

63. Deputy Sean Fleming asked the Minister for Education and Skills further to Parliamentary Question No. 181 of 11 February 2014 regarding the maintenance charge of €23,000 per bus per year which is over five times higher than the equivalent charges for school transport in Northern Ireland, if he will immediately claw back all money paid to Bus Éireann under state aid rules in view of the fact that the 1975 agreement at paragraph 5.1.2 specifically provides for the actual expenditure on school buses for maintenance charges incurred and this obviously did not happen according the FGS report, 2009, and that he had no verifiable documentation that payments by him did not in fact cross subsidise maintenance workers maintaining buses that competed with private bus operators thereby creating an unfair competitive advantage for Bus Éireann. [23894/14]

Written answers

Minister of State at the Department of Education and Skills

Bus Éireann has advised, and the Department is satisfied, that all charges for maintenance costs attributable to the school transport scheme have been calculated in line with the 1975 Summary of Accounting Arrangements. I am satisfied that no issue of unlawful state aid and/or claw back arises. Furthermore, Bus Éireann has repeatedly confirmed that it does not cross subsidise commercial services from the operation of the School Transport Scheme. I suggest that the comparisons referred to by the Deputy may not represent "like for like" comparisons. The Deputy might wish to submit to me relevant source material for his comparisons.

Question No. 64 answered with Question No. 51.