[Article] Bus row hits FF and PDs

Victor

http://www.thepost.ie/post/pages/p/story.aspx-qqqt=IRELAND-qqqm=news-qqqid=22949-qqqx=1.asp

Bus row hits FF and PDs
22 April 2007 By Niamh Connolly, Political Reporter

A row has broken out between Fianna Fail and the PDs just weeks before the general election, after it was confirmed that legislation needed to reform Dublin’s bus market would not be passed before the summer recess.

Fianna Fail was accused by its coalition partner of failing to fulfil its promise under the Programme for Government to open up the market to private buses and establish the Dublin Transport Authority (DTA).

Minister for Transport Martin Cullen confirmed that he did not expect legislation setting up the DTA to go before the Dail ahead of the general election.

He believed time was running out for reform of the 1932 Road Traffic Act, required to introduce competition in the market.

‘‘Even if I table the bill next week, it’s not going to get through the Dail,” said Cullen.

The minister said the DTA’s chairman-designate, Tom Mulcahy, was ‘‘in dialogue’’ with the various transport agencies.

‘‘There will be no stopping the momentum in the meantime. The DTA is for the medium-to-long term,” said Cullen.

However, PD transport spokesman Tom Morrissey accused Cullen of failing to deliver and accused Dublin Bus unions of stalling the establishment of the DTA.

‘‘It comes down to political will, which was lacking on the part of some ministers,” he said.

The latest row follows Minister for Health Mary Harney’s refusal to agree to a massive investment of public money in Dublin Bus last summer because of the failure to introduce real competition into the bus market.

The cabinet stand-off was resolved by a deal to fast-track the new DTA to oversee the liberalisation of the bus market.

The PDs conceded that only 15 per cent of new and expanding routes in the greater Dublin area would be opened up to competition, up to a maximum of 170 buses.

The bus union, NBRU, is opposed to the powers afforded to the DTA over Dublin Bus in the proposed legislation, according to its general secretary, Michael Faherty. The union has met Cullen and his officials over the issue.

He said: ‘‘We have difficulty with the DTA being given control over property in CIE’s portfolio . . . and to the DTA being in a position to nominate directors to Dublin Bus, Iarnrod Eireann and Bus Eireann.”

AlekSmart

Interesting stuff,even if yet another rehash of the longest story ever told.

However the SBP and other sections of the media still fail to grasp the mystery why a Minister for Health,who presides over a somewhat problematic department herself,suddenly threatens to withdraw her party from Government if her Public Transport ideology is not adopted.

Now call me a cynic,but with daily accounts of a health and hospital system in freefall,I am suspicious as to how and why it`s Minister can have even 5 minutes to devote to Public Transport as a topic.

Somewhere on the Progressive Democrat cloak there is a thread hanging loose just awaiting some enterprising person to begin pulling at it.

patrickc

They'll fast track things like the healthcare bill to give vhi money, (i.e their pockets)..

Chris_533976

‘‘Even if I table the bill next week, it’s not going to get through the Dail,” said Cullen.

Nonsense. If you were efficient and sorted it out, you would get it through.

I dont believe the timekeeping of any minister who takes 6 months to sign a railway order.

D'Peoples Voice

AlekSmart wrote:

Now call me a cynic,but with daily accounts of a health and hospital system in freefall,I am suspicious as to how and why it`s Minister can have even 5 minutes to devote to Public Transport as a topic.

I assume she is merely backing up her transport spokesman.
Why the leader or the chairperson of the party does not seem to be doing that is another thing!

On an aside, A&E has improved, check out the figures(either the HSE OR THE INO) again:)
Ironically its the unions causing the problems in the health service, and the reason why people are against Dublin Bus having no competition is because of ......yes that's right unions!!!!!

_Kaiser_

The PD's are only interested in serving the interests of their private sector friends who I'm sure are drooling over the prospect of Dublin Bus being opened to competition. That said, I do believe some healthy competition wouldn't do any harm (and Unions have far too much influence in this country), but only if implemented in the right way, which being typically Irish, we are largely incapable of doing in general. Everything has to take forever, involve massive cost overrun and ultimately be inadequate to the task anyway!

I'd also have to question the credibility of anything Harney says given the fiasco that is healthcare in this country, and where the two-tier system they've helped establish is only increasing the gulf between the haves and the have-nots in Irish society.

Make no mistake folks.. in 15/20 years we'll be looking back at this government through yet another long drawn out, ultimately pointless, and expensive (to the taxpayer only of course) tribunal. This IS Ireland after all where it seems we're incapable of doing anything without trying to cut some corner, where the "ah sure it'll be grand" attitude pervades everything, and we're too busy trying to skim off the top for ourselves in some manner.

In the meantime FF aren't too worried I'd imagine as I don't see them forming a new government with the PD's anyway if they are successful in the upcoming election.