Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 14 December 2005
239 Mr. Wall asked the Minister for Transport if funding will be provided to a scheme to ensure that it provides the best possible service to users (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39405/05]
Amharc ar fhreagraMy Department has been operating the rural transport initiative, RTI, since 2002 under which funding is provided on a pilot basis to 34 community organisations throughout the country to address the particular transport needs of their rural area through the provision of local transport services. Pobal, formerly known as Area Development Management Ltd., administers the initiative on behalf of my Department and makes specific allocations to individual project groups from funding provided by my Department. Neither I nor my Department have any role regarding the specific allocations.
Similarly, Pobal, together with the individual RTI project groups, is solely responsible for all the operational aspects of the initiative, including the specific services to be provided. Neither I nor my Department have any role in these matters. I understand that two of the projects being funded under the initiative provide services in County Kildare.
Earlier this year I announced the extension of the pilot phase of the initiative to the end of 2006. In this regard, I was taking account of the principal recommendation of the appraisal of the RTI, carried out in 2004. I also announced that from 2007 onwards I intend to put the scheme on a permanent footing.
This year I provided €4.5 million for the RTI which was a 50% increase over the 2004 allocation and I will be providing some €5 million for the initiative in 2006. I have already announced that, in parallel with the implementation of Transport 21, I will double the cash funding available to the scheme by 2007 and then steadily increase the funding available for rural transport services — ultimately to a cash level about four times what it is this year.
