I understand the very difficult business environment that the bus and coach sector are now dealing with. Indeed, across Government we are acutely aware that the COVID-19 situation presents huge challenges for very many business sectors.
That is why we have worked to introduce a wide programme of Government supports for impacted businesses. The range of supports available includes new schemes of wage subsidies, pandemic unemployment payment, rates waivers, re-start grants, lending facilities, equity injection, and business advisory supports for example.
While the majority of public transport in Ireland is provided by the publicly-subvented bus and rail services funded through National Transport Authority's (NTA) public service obligation (PSO) programme, the public transport system also includes non-subvented bus services provided on a commercial basis by bus and coach businesses of varying size. I understand that about 90% of the commercial bus operators have suspended their services or are providing significantly reduced services at present. In this context, the NTA is engaging directly with both PSO and commercial transport operators and will publish their proposals shortly.
My Department is also engaging directly with PSO and commercial operators to help inform policy decisions in relation to the public transport sector as we progress through the various phases of the 'Roadmap for Reopening Society and Business'.
I am engaging with my colleague, the Minister for Business, Enterprise and Innovation about these matters and am raising with her the concerns and situation of the commercial operators. The 'Return to Work Safely Protocol' was published by the Minister Humphreys on 9 May 2020 and sets out the steps and processes employers and workers must take to mitigate the spread of Covid-19 in the workplace. The Protocol is a living document which will evolve with changing Public Health advice.
In order to ensure that there is a dedicated response for the tourism sector, Minister of State Griffin and I have appointed a Tourism Recovery Taskforce to prepare a Tourism Recovery Plan which will include a set of recommendations on how best the Irish tourism sector can adapt and recover in the changed tourism environment as a result of the Covid-19 crisis. The plan will identify priority aims, key enablers and market opportunities for the sector for the period 2020-2023. The Taskforce may consult with stakeholders to inform its deliberations and report back later this year. The membership of the Taskforce is available on my Department’s website.
There has been great interest from all parts of the sector in contributing to this effort, which is hugely encouraging. Unfortunately, not every part of the sector can be represented on the Taskforce. However, Minister of State Griffin and I are strongly of the view that all parties with ideas and proposals to help tourism should be able to contribute these and an appropriate consultation process will be something which the Taskforce will use to inform its final report. I hope that the Coach Tourism and Transport Council of Ireland (CTTC) will avail of this mechanism to get its ideas across. Furthermore, I am aware that officials in the public transport area of my Department are engaging directly with CTTC.
Lastly, my Department is engaged intensively across Government in relation to progressing relevant public transport issues. In view of these necessary approaches and engagements to address what is already a complex and difficult set of issues, I have no plans, at this time, to establish an additional administrative structure.
