Vol. 496 No. 3
59 Mr. Rabbitte asked the Minister for Public Enterprise if she has issued an instruction to CIE to dispose of certain lands and property; if so, the purpose of this instruction; if her attention has been drawn to concerns expressed by unions in relation to the implications of this move; if she will consult with the unions before any sale takes place; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [22550/98]
67 Mr. McDowell asked the Minister for Public Enterprise the reason she is proposing to sell off CIE's property holding in view of the fact that she indicated in Parliamentary Question No. 24 of 3 June 1998 that the management and development of CIE's property holdings is a matter for the company and she had no statutory function in the matter; her views on whether using property holdings for joint ventures is the best use of these properties; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [22643/98]
I propose to answer Questions Nos. 59 and 67 together.
At my request, CIE prepared a number of public transport investment reviews, covering all their main areas of activity, mainline rail, Dublin suburban rail, bus, provincial cities and rail freight. These were submitted to my Department at various times over the past year or so and identified total medium term investment requirements of over £1 billion in the period to end 2006. This figure does not include the cost of the first phase of the Dublin light rail system which I announced in May.
