Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 29 September 2004
999 Mr. Perry asked the Minister for Transport if he will address the issues raised in the enclosed correspondence by the community of Lough Arrow social project (details supplied) with regard to the rural transport initiative as a decision is being made about budgets for Departments until the end of 2006; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22216/04]
Amharc ar fhreagraI have received a similar letter to the one received by the Deputy which I will answer in detail when replying to the group concerned. Among other things I will point out to the group that Area Development Management Limited is administering the rural transport initiative on behalf of my Department. ADM alone is responsible for making the decisions on specific allocations for individual rural transport initiative projects from funding provided by my Department. Neither the Department nor I have any function with regard to this aspect of the rural transport initiative. However, in addition to the original 2004 allocation ADM has recently made a supplementary allocation to the project concerned in view of its emerging financial difficulties. The project benefits each year from funding being provided by the Department of Social and Family Affairs under the application of the free travel scheme to the rural transport initiative.
ADM has informed me that in some cases, rural transport initiative projects have also been able to generate additional funds from providing services to health boards and from other sources. From the outset rural transport initiative projects have been encouraged to source such funding. The degree of co-financing and additional resources secured from non-Exchequer sources were among the operational criteria used to assess the original applications for funding under the rural transport initiative.
There has been no reduction in the funding provided by my Department for the rural transport initiative this year. On the contrary, the funding for this initiative has been more than doubled from that originally planned for it. By the end of this year my Department will have spent €9 million on the initiative compared to the €4.4 million earmarked for it in the National Development Plan 2000-2006. The rural transport initiative was originally due to conclude at the end of 2003. However, I extended this pilot initiative for a further year to the end of 2004 to facilitate a proper evaluation of the scheme. ADM recently concluded that evaluation and I will now consider the future of the initiative in the light of its findings.
