Brendan Griffin (Kerry South, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the witnesses for their presentation. I welcome the work that is being done by the rural transport programme, which is very important for people in rural communities throughout the county. I welcome the efforts to obtain better value for money from the service. I would differ from some previous contributors in that I am optimistic the NTA can deliver that. Reform and restructuring should always be considered, particularly where there are relatively new structures in place. Realistically, we are talking about a service that has only been in place for about a decade in some places, and less than that in others. We should be open-minded on the reform and restructuring proposals. Having said that, it is an area that I will be watching closely in future to ensure the level of service provided is maintained and hopefully enhanced. In that way, as previous contributors have said, local knowledge will not be lost.

The Chairman of this committee has a serious societal role to play because rural isolation is a major problem. This has been discussed responsibly in various quarters recently. It is a matter that will not be going away and it needs to be tackled. Transport is a big part of tackling the problem of rural isolation. I welcome some of the initiatives that have been announced in the restructuring programme but I have concerns about the rural hackney licence, although I welcome it. I come from a very rural community myself, living at the foot of the Slieve Mish mountains on the Dingle peninsula. In mid-week, for example, it is difficult to get any hackney operator in that area and other parts of rural Kerry. There is a vacuum to be filled, therefore, particularly from Monday to Thursday. Transport operators who do not feel it is viable to operate from Monday to Thursday do operate at weekends. Is there a threat of displacement if rural hackney licensees operate on the same nights? How will the NTA get around that? Certain hackney operators have told me they are concerned that on Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights somebody could be doing the run for a much lower price than them. There is that fear, but there is an opening on quieter weeknights for a lower-cost service run by drivers with fewer overheads. How will the NTA strike that balance? I do not mean to be critical of the proposal because it certainly needs to be fulfilled.

I concur with Deputy O'Donovan about the testing system. I am aware of a person who operates in Killarney and a maximum of 20 miles outside the town. He has been asked to identify street names, as Gaeilge, in Dingle, which is over 50 miles or an hour's drive away. The man might have been there once on his holidays but would certainly not be taking fares there. That area needs to be examined because good people are being barred from entering the system due to such difficulties. I urge the NTA to examine that matter.

None the less, I wish the NTA well in the future. Kerry Community Transport has provided an important service to the people of Kerry since its inception. I hope KCT will continue to do that with the NTA's support in future. There should be an open dialogue and feedback with Members of the Oireachtas to ensure that a better service is delivered for its recipients.