Denise Mitchell
Question:177. Deputy Denise Mitchell asked the Minister for Transport the level of funding he had requested in budget 2021 to improve Dublin Bus services. [39888/20]
View answerTuesday, 1 December 2020
Questions (177)
Written answers
As the Minister for Transport, I have responsibility for policy and overall funding in relation to public transport.
Details of the aggregate Exchequer provision for public transport services and investment are being finalised in the context of the Revised Estimates for 2021, which will be published very shortly as part of the normal Budgetary and Estimates process. This will enable allocations of both capital and current expenditure from my Department's Vote to the National Transport Authority (NTA), for allocation by the NTA to the various transport operators for the provision of public transport services and for public transport infrastructure investment.
The National Transport Authority (NTA) has statutory responsibility for securing the provision of public passenger transport services nationally. Since 2010, the award of Public Service Obligation (PSO) funding falls under the independent statutory remit of the NTA. The allocations to individual companies - including Dublin Bus, the operator about which the Deputy is asking - are decided by the NTA in accordance with the various contract arrangements that it has in place with PSO service providers.
In providing Exchequer support for public transport in 2020 and 2021, the Government recognises that continued operation of the public transport sector is important, and public transport is designated among the essential services that have carried on throughout the Covid crisis. Clearly, the Covid-19 health emergency has had a profound impact on the public transport sector through the fall in passenger numbers and associated drop in fare revenues. Therefore, several Government decisions have been taken to mitigate the negative financial impact of Covid on the public transport system, including:
- initially, to substantially increase the 2020 overall budget for the existing PSO system, and in the recent Budget, to continue with an increased overall allocation for 2021;
- to introduce new temporary financial support for non-PSO licensed services provided by commercial bus operators; and
- enhancements to certain PSO bus services - which include some provided by Dublin Bus - that were announced under the Stimulus package, and which will become fully operational in 2021.
In relation to capital investment, next year the NTA will be purchasing a significant number of double-deck hybrid buses for use in the Dublin region. It is also expected that the NTA's planning application for BusConnects Dublin, which will be the largest ever investment programme in the bus network in Dublin, will be lodged during 2021, subject to Government approval.
In light of the all the foregoing, I have forwarded the Deputy's question to the NTA for direct reply. Please advise my private office if you do not receive a reply within ten working days.
A referred reply was forwarded to the Deputy under Standing Order 51