Minister on ideological crusade to privatise Dublin bus services – Ellis

Dessie Ellis TD for Dublin North West has said that CIÉ should not be forced to compete with cherry picked private services, while also providing less profitable services needed by the wider community.

Deputy Ellis was speaking in response to the announcement to Cabinet by Minister for transport, tourism and sport, Leo Varadkar TD, of the planned ‘overhaul’ of routes for Dublin Bus and Bus Éireann, privatising one tenth of public bus routes.

Deputy Ellis said:

“Dublin Bus and Bus Éireann have lost money this year but that is because they are providing a service across the country to isolated communities. CIÉ does not get to cherry pick the most profitable or busy routes it has an obligation to the public and the Minister has an obligation not to make it harder for public transport providers to fulfil their responsibilities.

“CIÉ needs investment, it needs better planning, and for its companies to work better together to provide the best and most efficient service. It also needs the support of the Minister for Transport and the government to do this. Public transport will only suffer from the kind of stealth attacks already undertaken by Leo Varadkar.

“Fine Gael is dedicated to privatising public services regardless of the result. We have seen time and again how privatisation in the long run leads to worse services and higher prices. Public transport is essential to our economy and society and should not be used so recklessly as a pawn in an ideological crusade by right wing Ministers.

“The Transport Committee will tomorrow meet with CIÉ representatives and I will be very eager to raise my concerns about this approach with them.”

Housing crisis rages on in Dublin with no government response: Ellis

Dessie Ellis TD said today:

“The government is allowing the housing crisis to rage on with wholly inadequate numbers of homes being added to the social housing stock.”

This week, through parliamentary questions 33780/13 and 33777/13, Deputy Ellis uncovered that in Dublin city just 55 units have been delivered through NAMA and only 19 local authority homes will be built by 2014.
“In 2011 NAMA was announced that it would make nearly 2,000 units available for social housing across the state. This has expanded to 4,200 homes but still we are waiting any substantial delivery.

“We have 100,000 people on local authority waiting lists, 100,000 on Rent Supplement costing the state nearly half a billion a year and yet the government seem to think nothing is required to deal with this. Severe and widespread housing need is obviously not their concern.

“We are facing increased evictions due to government policy and major crisis in the buy-to-let market, meaning many renting families including those on Rent Supplement and RAS are at threat of losing their home and the government has offered little or nothing to deal with it.

“The minister must refocus on the delivery of NAMA properties for housing to fast track delivery we have waited far too long since the promise of a social dividend in 2009.

“Real investment from the Pension Reserve Fund, European Investment Bank and housing bonds must be put in to a large construction campaign.

“Where NAMA housing is available and demand is not apparent to local authorities, a choice-based letting system should be implemented.

“Housing need is a massive and serious problem and radical, long term solutions are needed, not policy statements and platitudes which is all we have got so far from this department.”