Dublin City Bus Subsidy and Control
The Minister said the 1987 global CIE subvention had not yet been allocated among its subsidiaries, so he could not provide Dublin City Bus’s subsidy or targets. He ruled out current plans to privatise the service, instead aiming to make it viable and eventually profitable.
asked the Minister for Communications the expected amount of the subsidy to be paid in the forthcoming financial year in respect of Dublin city bus services.
Comment on this
The Exchequer subvention for CIE is being settled in the context of the decisions in relation to the 1987 budget. The allocations to the individual CIE subsidiaries will be a matter for settlement by the board in the light of the global subvention.
Comment on this
Will the Minister indicate whether in the light of the size of the subvention which he cannot reveal now but of which he is presumably aware if he has any plans to pass the control of the Dublin city bus company into private hands?
Comment on this
The Deputy has correctly stated that I am not in a position to give a breakdown, the reason being that in the normal Book of Estimates when the global subvention is given a breakdown of where the subvention applies is also given. In the provisional 1987 Estimates the global figure only is given. With regard to the second part of the Deputy's question, I have no policy with regard to the privatising of Dublin city bus services.
Comment on this
I am not considering it as of now. I am considering the possibility of developing the Dublin city bus services to the extent that they should be viable services making a profit.
Comment on this
Is it to be inferred from the Minister's reply that he has departed from setting separate objectives for each of the three companies which constitute CIE? Is it not the case that certain targets have been set for Dublin city bus services?
Comment on this
If the Deputy had been listening to the first part of my reply it would indicate the difficulty as of now. As I stated in my reply, the breakdown has not been given in the Book of Estimates. We are very near the moment of truth with regard to all those matters. Last year £18 million was mentioned in the detailed Book of Estimates for 1986. No such breakdown has been given this year, but no doubt, today being budget day, these figures will be available.
