The rural transport initiative, RTI, to which I understand the Deputy refers, is a pilot scheme, under which funding is at present made available to 34 community-based organisations across the country to address the transport needs of their rural areas through the provision of local transport services. The RTI is administered on behalf of my Department by Pobal — formerly Area Development Management Ltd. — which, together with the RTI groups concerned, is responsible for all the operational aspects of the initiative, including the areas to be served. Any applications for extensions to existing schemes are a matter for Pobal, and my Department has no role in these matters.
The pilot period for the RTI comes to a close at the end of 2006, and I announced last year that I intend to put the RTI on a permanent footing from 2007 onwards. Proposals for the rollout of the RTI from 2007 onwards are currently in preparation and, in due course, will form the basis for a public consultation process. In developing proposals for the post-2006 period, I will pay particular attention to the needs of rural communities that do not currently have access to public transport.
