As already stated and as Deputy Mattie McGrath should know, there are never any personality clashes between us. I welcome the opportunity to deal with this matter.
In line with the commitment in the programme for Government, I have been actively working with all stakeholders over the past two years to ensure a viable long-term future for the rural transport programme, RTP. My overall aim has been to embed the RTP into the wider public transport system. As the Deputy stated, the previous Administration tried, by means of the McCarthy report, to close down rural transport. Of course, I completely dismissed that report.
At present, there are rural transport groups covering 36 geographical areas nationwide. In the main, these are managed voluntary management committees, which do a fine job. Each group has identified and met demands for transport in its area which had until then been largely unaddressed, and developed services that are relied upon by the people it serves. The staff and voluntary boards have devised innovative ways of obtaining scarce resources and deploying these in creative solutions in order to provide a much-needed service. However, arising from a value for money report, a number of other matters raised with me and the issue of the viability of a number of rural transport groups, the RTP has been changed in recent months, and I have published a significant report in this regard. We must ensure that in the future we will have a more complete and cost-effective transport service offering in rural areas which will better meet the transport needs of all. To that end, it was decided to assign national responsibility for the RTP to the National Transport Authority, NTA, with effect from 1 April 2012.
The value for money report identified a number of issues in respect of the overall value for money of the programme, the level of administration costs, inconsistencies in fare levels, the cost per service across the country and the lack of data and performance measures, as well as a range of other matters. It recommended organisational restructuring in order to achieve efficiencies and a better alignment of the 35 RTP groups with local authority structures. A process to determine the optimal structure for the delivery of rural transport from an efficiency and service perspective, involving consultation with key stakeholders, culminated in the NTA's report, Strengthening the Connections in Rural Ireland, which I am sure the Deputy has read. Central to the new national administrative structure is the establishment of 18 transport co-ordination units, TCUs, in place of the existing 35 groups. This represents the most suitable and efficient model because it will provide the appropriate critical mass of population and characteristics to sustain the running costs of each unit. A selection and appraisal process is currently under way in respect of the 18 TCUs. It would not be appropriate for me to comment on that matter. The final closing date for receipt of applications was 30 November. Only existing RTP groups were eligible to apply to become TCUs, which means that much of the experience and local links and knowledge will be retained in the new structure.
The TCUs, with their local knowledge, will be well placed to detail the routes and stopping points for services. They will also be involved in two other rural initiatives, which I am sure the Deputy supports - namely, the community care scheme and the proposed local area hackney licence scheme, in respect of which I have exerted pressure. This will make them the main point of contact for all transport provision in rural areas. For the first time ever, local authorities will have a role in the planning of rural transport services. Each county will be obliged to develop an annual transport plan and this will inform the NTA in assigning the appropriate remit to each TCU. This will create opportunities to develop greater area coverage, as well as integrating rural transport services with the HSE, school and other public transport services.
For the sake of clarity and in order to allay any fears for users of existing rural transport services, I wish to emphasise that services will be maintained at current levels for the foreseeable future, particularly as the TCUs are yet to get up and running; under the new structures there will continue to be flexibility to tailor services to each local area, and door-to-door and on-demand transport services will continue; and the community and voluntary sector will continue to play a central role in the new structures, with much stronger links to local government. This new structure will also encourage greater investment by transport providers in accessible buses and services. As much as possible, longer term contracts will be granted by the NTA to private operators via tendering arrangements that will encourage and reward greater investment in the provision of services with fully accessible buses.
The NTA has put in place formal consultation structures with the rural transport network in order to work through the many aspects of the transition to the new structure. It also invited all the RTP groups to attend an open meeting in Portlaoise on 10 October 2013 so that it might brief them on the application process for the TCUs and address their queries. The NTA will be working with all involved during the coming months to make the transition as smooth as possible. During the transition period, the NTA's priority is to ensure the uninterrupted continuation of existing RTP services. In this regard, its focus is on moving existing services into contracted services with the NTA.
I accept that change is taking place and that some people find change a cause for concern. I assure the Deputy and the many other Members of this House and the Seanad with an interest in rural transport that this is a very positive development. I come from a little village called Portroe and I would not be pushing this policy unless I believed in it. I am of the view that what is involved is absolutely right for the country.
