Talk:CIÉ

Ownership
''Córas Iompair Éireann ... is owned by the Irish Government''

Even though CIÉ's own website says "the Irish Government is currently the sole owner of CIÉ", surely it is not the Irish Government but the Irish State which owns the corporation. (?) -- Picapica 23:35, 19 July 2005 (UTC)


 * I have read the law on this and their is no capital of the company and thus it is hard to determine how their can be an owner as such? Usually state companies explicitly state in the relevant law who owns what but not here, checked 1950 and 1986 acts. It has a wide range of powers to purchase, borrow and dispose - and of course is subject to the law and the Oireachtas. Djegan 18:25, 20 July 2005 (UTC)

My question really concerned the distinction between the Government and the State. The Government is an arm of the State but it is not all of the State, and in any case CIÉ is a body which was established by the State's legislative arm, the Oireachtas, not by its executive arm, the Government.

But as you rightly point out, "who owns CIÉ?" is not really a meaningful question in any case, since CIÉ ("the Board") is not something which can be owned. It is an entity established by law precisely to do the owning of certain assets which do not themselves constitute CIÉ (though CIÉ exists to own and make use of them).

In short, the statement "Córas Iompair Éireann ... is owned by the Irish Government" and associated remarks in the introduction need re-writing! I hope to post a suggested alternative on this page before too long. -- Picapica 20:14, 20 July 2005 (UTC)

This is a problem with the state-sponsored bodies of the Republic of Ireland that are statutory corporations such as CIÉ - they don't have any share capital (and therefore, are not companies), no shareholders, no dividends, etc. They are constituted under their primary legislation (Transport Act 1950 in this case). The Members of Coras Iompair Éireann are the Board. The Board is appointed by the Government so I guess they are the nearest thing to it having an owner. --Rdd 22:35, 21 October 2005 (UTC)

Clarification

 * Current government policy is that Córas Iompair Éireann should be wound up

By "wound up", does the article mean, "abolished"? -- Beland 00:13, 11 May 2006 (UTC)

Is this still government policy? It is now late 2013 and there is an entirely different government and CIÉ is still around and still 'owned' by the government/state. Does anyone know what current plans are? Aerach (talk) 11:57, 24 September 2013 (UTC)