Vol. 530 No. 1
106 Mr. O'Shea asked the Minister for Public Enterprise if she will provide appropriate Government funding for the introduction of a number of rural transport services planned by Bus Éireann for the west Waterford area; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [3293/01]
Within the overall subvention arrangements provided to the CIE companies, it is the responsibility of Bus Éireann to determine specific services provided by it in west Waterford or elsewhere.
The Government has increased substantially the amount of subvention paid to the CIE companies for the provision of socially necessary but non-commercial services. In 2001 the Government provided £159 million in Exchequer subvention for CIE. This is 51% more than was provided for in the 1997 Estimates. I commend Bus Éireann for its recent extension of rural transport services around the country. There are 35 such services in operation.
There is provision in the national development plan of some £3.5 million for the development of pilot public transport projects in rural areas. One of the aims of this initiative will be to encourage community-based initiatives to provide bus services in their own areas.
It is planned that the funding will be used to support a number of pilot rural transport projects in the period 2001 to 2003. The projects, to be funded by my Department, will be selected following a national call for proposals. My Department will be issuing in the coming weeks a consultation document on this subject which will seek the views of all interested parties on the method of allocating funds to projects. A three week consultation process is proposed and, shortly thereafter, applications for funding for projects will be invited.
