Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Thursday, 3 Dec 1998

Vol. 497 No. 7

Written Answers - Road Passenger Licences.

Ivan Yates

Ceist:

104 Mr. Yates asked the Minister for Public Enterprise the reason a company (details supplied) in County Wexford has been continuously refused licences to operate scheduled bus services particularly in cases where no such service exits; the policy determining these decisions; the proposals, if any, there are to change this policy or the legal framework in which it operates; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [26204/98]

Minister of State at the Department of Public Enterprise (Mr. Jacob)

The company named last applied to my Department in 1996 for road passenger licences to provide weekend bus services between Wexford and Dublin and between Wexford and Limerick. Such licences are issued in accordance with the terms of the Road Transport Act, 1932. In considering whether to grant or refuse an application for a passenger licence under that Act, my Department is required to have regard to the extent of authorised passenger road services and other forms of passenger transport available to the public on or in the neighbourhood of the route of the proposed service. In general, only one operator is licensed to provide a particular type of service over a specific route.

With regard to the applications referred to by the Deputy, my Department was not in a position to give its approval in view of the existing level of authorised services on the routes in question at that time. However, in view of the fact that two years have now elapsed since the original applications were received, I have now asked my Department to reconsider the applications in question and to liaise directly with the company concerned in the matter.

As outlined in my Department's statement of strategy a review is under way of options for the effective regulation of the bus market which is currently governed by the Road Transport Act, 1932. This review will focus on fair competition, generally improving customer service, effective enforcement and appropriate integration of services.