In the past ten years the population of this city has increased by more than 100,000, and the populations of counties Meath and Kildare and the area immediately outside Dublin have increased by another 100,000. Throughout that period, as the Taoiseach will be aware, the space given over to quality bus corridors has been quite limited, with a limited increase in the number of buses provided. Four county managers appeared before last week's meeting of the Joint Committee on Transport and complained about the lack of space being allocated to quality bus corridors and the lack of buses in their areas.

Last Sunday the Minister for Transport, Deputy Dempsey, announced in his usual way that the Government was abandoning its policy of competition on bus routes. The Minister now seems happy for the hard-pressed commuters, who are central to the life of the city, to need to continue to rely on a single bus provider for transport to and from their localities. More important, as the Taoiseach is only too well aware, the outlying areas such as Tallaght, Edenmore, Raheny, and Poppintree, where the service is really not as it should be, are now really caught. The limited competition that has been provided has worked exceptionally well and those who use it are happy about it because it resulted in all public transport providers lifting their game, which is right and proper.

Why has the Government turned its back on what has been Government policy for ten years? What is so unique about Dublin Bus that commuters will need to continue to rely on a single bus provider in this city and its outlying areas? If competition has worked so well in airlines, why is it not applied in the case of buses, which would have the interests of the commuter at heart in terms of ease of access, convenience of travel and greater opportunities, allowing the life of the city to thrive?

The Government for the past ten years, as Deputy Kenny has said, has continued both to put in more buses — we have 1,100 more buses on the road — and we have continued on certain routes to allow additional licences for private operators. We are committed to seeing the further expansion and enhancement of public bus services. We want to see a top class service delivered to all citizens. As I said when talking about infrastructural issues during Question Time last Wednesday, we are wholeheartedly committed to getting best value for the travelling public and the taxpayer from significant subsidies being invested by the Exchequer in public bus services operated by Dublin Bus and Bus Éireann. In order to achieve this we have set out a number of priorities in the programme for government, which contains a commitment to expedite the establishment of the Dublin transport authority. Hopefully that legislation will be before us very soon. It will have the necessary powers to ensure the delivery of an integrated public transport system that was envisioned under Transport 21. These powers of the DTA will not be limited. They will help with a lot of the difficulties that managers have cited concerning corridors and infrastructural projects. That Bill will be before the House in the next few weeks.

The programme for Government also includes a commitment to improve bus services under Transport 21 by reforming the bus licensing provisions of the Transport Act 1932, and to facilitate the optimum provision of services by providing a level playing field for all market participants, both public and private. That is the Government's policy. Proposals for a new bus licensing regime will follow in subsequent legislative proposals. In the meantime, it will be business as usual for all private operators who wish to apply for a licence. There is no change under the present system whereby, as the Deputy said, there is more competition and many services have been enhanced. That position will continue.

In terms of the subvented bus market, which is supported by Exchequer moneys, the Dublin transport authority Bill will set out mechanisms for awarding contracts for this subvention taking into full account the new regime introduced under EU law, which comprises the new regulations of last October. They will become mandatory from the end of December 2009. In addition, the Department will shortly undertake a study of how Dublin Bus organises network planning capacity.

In conclusion, there is no change in the system that has been operating for the last ten years but there is a commitment to reform the legislative position under the Transport Act 1932 to ensure the provision of a level playing field for all market participants, both public and private, which is not there at present. Proposals for the new licensing regime will follow in subsequent legislative proposals. Deputy Kenny thought we were rowing back from what is currently there but we are not doing so.

We want to go forward.

The Taoiseach is not sure which way it is going.

We will amend the Transport Act 1932 in line with the Dublin transport authority Bill. The Deputy is obviously very happy with what is there at the moment but we are not so happy with it.

The Taoiseach should do something about it.

We will do that with the Opposition's wholehearted support. Therefore the Dublin transport authority Bill will be coming before the House, while the proposed amendment of the 1932 legislation is also under discussion.

The Taoiseach is quite prepared to say anything and hopes to get away with it. He mentioned rowing back and forth but the point is that he has completely abandoned ship. Whoever wrote that answer for him was very selective in the choice of phrases chosen from the programme for Government. First, there are approximately 1,100 buses in total in Dublin, not 1,100 new buses. Second, the Taoiseach is right in saying there is no change — that is why people must wait two years for a licensing decision. Third, the most important and fundamental element of the Dublin transport authority was to regulate competition, yet there will be no such competition now. The ship has been completely abandoned.

I remind the Taoiseach of what is in his programme for Government. The author of the Taoiseach's reply did not say the programme for Government is to "deliver real commuting choice" and specifically to reform bus licensing to facilitate the optimum provision of services by providing a level playing pitch for all market participants. That has been abandoned. In his announcement on Sunday, the Minister, Deputy Noel Dempsey, said we would just have a single provider, with Dublin Bus doing the business from Popintree right around the whole perimeter of the city with a first-class service.

The Deputy should not believe everything he reads. That is his problem. I did not make any such statement.

The programme for Government has clearly abandoned the element of competition, which has been so good in so many other areas. Uniquely in the bus service, however, it will be left to one provider alone. Have we got to a stage where the issue of commuter policy is much more important for the provider than for the consumer? Why has this change of heart by the Minister, on behalf of the Government, occurred?

Ten quality bus corridors are currently operating, while another ten are under construction and a further 39 are in the pipeline. The Minister says the Dublin transport authority will be on stream fairly soon, but the competition element has been abandoned and future legislation will deal with all of this. Meanwhile, there are three or four weeks left in this session, following which we will have a relatively short period before the summer recess and the Government will be away again. Has the entire Cabinet given its approval to this change of heart announced by the Minister last Sunday?

Three points have been raised and I will try not to confuse what is a simple issue. The Dublin transport authority Bill will be before the House shortly. The Bill is almost ready and will deal with a number of important things including responsibility for the allocation of Exchequer funds, which will give the DTA power to ensure the delivery of priority transport projects. It will have power to contract out services, which will allow for the integration of services and infrastructure, ensuring that bus services are effectively integrated with the metro on its completion. It will have responsibility to deliver public transport infrastructural projects through existing agencies but, should it consider it more efficient and expeditious to do so, it can deliver a project itself. It will have power of direction to ensure delivery of integrated ticketing, passenger information and fares. That Bill is almost ready and will be published shortly.

As regards Deputy Kenny's second point, both he and I have quoted from the programme for Government, which includes a commitment to improve services under Transport 21 by reforming the bus licensing provisions of the Transport Act 1932. The Act is over 75 years old and is generally considered not to be suitable. We stated we would reform that legislation to facilitate the optimum provision of services by providing a level playing field for all market participants, both public and private. That is what the Minister stated the other day and he did not state anything else.

Proposals for that new bus licensing regime will follow in subsequent legislative proposals. In the meantime, it will be business as usual for all private operators who wish to apply to the Department of Transport for a licence under the 1932 Act until it is amended. The Minister said it would be open to all market participants, both public and private. If any private operator can show and prove that it can improve and enhance the services Dublin Bus or Bus Éireann consider they can do in many instances, it will not be ruled out. Similarly, if the public sector has a view on how it can enhance the service, it should not be automatically ruled out just for the consideration of the private speculative market. That is not what happens at present, so Dublin Bus should be entitled to put its views forward. Those matters will be dealt with in the amendment to the 1932 Act. Up to now, as the Deputy said, people who have a suggestion for a licence are quite liberally dealt with; they can put their case to the Department and seek a licence. That system is working on many routes and has been extended on many routes over the last few years. That is all the Minister stated, so I do not see any issue in that regard.

Does the Minister have the backing of the Cabinet?