Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 30 November 2004
350 Mr. Wall asked the Minister for Transport if he will continue funding for the south Kildare transport initiative; the plans to expand the initiative to alternative routes; the success of the present routes; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31390/04]
View answer351 Mr. Perry asked the Minister for Transport if his attention has been drawn to the fact that only €3 million has been allocated in the 2005 Estimates for the rural transport initiative; if his attention has further been drawn to the fact that up to €4.5 million is needed to keep the service operational; if he will seek to have a Supplementary Estimate put in place to ensure that it can continue; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30949/04]
View answer364 Mr. J. Breen asked the Minister for Transport if, in order to allow the east Clare accessible transport scheme to continue and expand its service, he will increase funding for this worthwhile and valuable transport system; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31352/04]
View answer368 Mr. P. Breen asked the Minister for Transport if he will increase the amount of funding as recommended by the evaluation report on the RTI by a company (details supplied) as one of its recommendations that the RTI increase its services allocated to East Clare Accessible Transport which provides a very valuable service to the people of east Clare; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31405/04]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 350, 351, 364 and 368 together.
Area Development Management Limited administers the rural transport initiative on behalf of my Department and makes specific allocations to individual RTI projects from funding provided under my Vote. Under this initiative, 34 rural community groups are currently being financed to operate pilot rural transport services in their areas. It is the function of each RTI group, in conjunction with ADM, to decide on the specific services to be funded from its allocation in line with its agreed business plan.
I should point out that ADM has sole responsibility in deciding on the individual RTI allocations and neither I nor my Department has any function in the matter.
The National Development Plan 2000-2006 makes a provision of €4.4 million for pilot projects under the rural transport initiative. However, given the positive response to the scheme, additional funding has been provided and by the end of this year my Department will have provided €9 million for the RTI in the three years 2002-2004. A full appraisal of the initiative was completed in July this year and in line with its principal recommendation, I recently extended the scheme for a further two years to end2006.
There is a provisional allocation of €3 million for the RTI in the Abridged Estimates volume. Before the Estimates are finalised, I hope to be in a position to provide some increase to take account of increases in operating costs of the projects involved. This will result in an overall funding commitment of at least €12 million for the RTI to end 2005 which compares very favourably with the total of €4.4 million earmarked for the RTI in the National Development Plan 2000-2006.
It should be borne in mind that the RTI projects also benefit each year from funding provided by the Department of Social and Family Affairs arising from the application of the free travel scheme to the scheme. In addition, I know that some RTI projects are generating additional funds from the provision of transport services to health boards and from other sources.
From the outset, RTI projects have been encouraged to explore innovative ways in which their services can be partly financed from the local economy in which they operate. Indeed, the degree to which prospective RTI groups put forward proposals for co-financing and the securing of additional resources from non-Exchequer sources were among the operational criteria used to assess the original applications.
In deciding on the extension of the RTI to end-2006 I was conscious that many of the pilot projects only became fully operational in 2003. I was also conscious that continuing the RTI to end-2006 will ensure that the lifespan of the initiative will dovetail with the scope of the National Development Plan 2000-2006 in which the initiative was first mooted.
The extension will facilitate a more comprehensive appraisal of the effectiveness of the RTI in addressing the transport needs of rural areas. It will enable the 34 projects to further explore best practice models of transport provision and to strategically develop approaches to planning and co-ordinating transport services in areas whereit was traditionally considered difficult to doso.
