Vol. 503 No. 1
67 Mr. Callely asked the Minister for Public Enterprise if a special capital allocation for the purchase of buses will be conditional on the fact that they are environmentally friendly in view of the importance of public transport; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [8898/99]
As the Deputy is aware from the reply to Question No. 35 of 18 February 1999, there are a number of issues which would need to be examined in relation to the use of alternative fuels by Dublin Bus. My Department has allocated a sum of £20,000 to part fund a trial involving the use by Dublin Bus of a vehicle fuelled by liquid petroleum gas (LPG). Dublin Bus is at present in negotiation with a bus manufacturer about the leasing of a suitable bus. In addition, Dublin Bus, in a joint venture with Bord Gáis Éireann, is operating, on a trial basis, a single-decker bus using compressed natural gas. There is no special capital allocation for the purchase of buses conditional on the fact that they be environmentally friendly.
