Ferry Services

Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 26 April 2012

Thursday, 26 April 2012

Ceisteanna (133)

Noel Harrington

Ceist:

133 Deputy Noel Harrington asked the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht if he will state, regarding the successful tender for the provision of a subsidised passenger service to Long Island County Cork, the main terms of the contract; the duration of the contact; the vessel or vessels that will be used to service this contract; the capacity of these vessels; the schedule that will operate including seasonal variations; the fares that will operate; if he will confirm that the travel pass will be accepted; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21039/12]

Freagraí scríofa

Minister of State at the Department of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht (Deputy Dinny McGinley)

My Department has awarded a contract to provide the service referred to by the Deputy for the three year period from 1 December 2011 to 30 November 2014. The service provides for two scheduled sailings per day, five days per week from 1 April to 31 October and three days per week from 1 November to 31 March.

The vessel nominated for the service is the MV Amy K. It has a passenger Carriage Capacity Licence for 12 passengers. The service provider has nominated the MV Neachtain as a back-up vessel which is only used in the event that the main boat is unavailable. That vessel also has a passenger Carriage Capacity Licence for 12 passengers.

The following table indicates the fares which apply to the subsidised sailings. No fares are listed for children living on the island, since the permanent population on the island consists entirely of adults.

	Ferry
Passenger Category	Single	Return
Islander
Adult	€4.00	€5.00
Pensioner (with free travel pass)	Free	Free
Non-Islander
Adult	€5.00	€7.00
Student	€1.50	€3.00
Children 5 years of age or older	€2.00	€3.00
Children less than 5 years of age	Free	Free
Pensioner (with free travel pass)	Free	Free