Shane Ross (Dublin Rathdown, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Chair. I am not going to do that and I will tell Deputy O'Keeffe why. The problem of rural isolation is not exclusively about getting back and forward to pubs. Deputy O'Keeffe suggests that money - if I understand it correctly - would be better spent on giving publicans breathalyser test units so that they could breathalyse their customers. That fails to recognise that the problem of rural isolation is much wider. It misleading to suggest it is only about going to pubs. He knows rural Ireland better than I do but people get involved in all sorts of social activities in rural and urban Ireland that are not pub orientated.

Social life does revolve around the pub in part, but other people go to play bingo, to dances, to sports events and to charities and fundraisers. These buses will transfer them from one place to another while doing those things. It is insulting to suggest that rural life is exclusively centred on drinking. The pub is a centre of social activity, and it should be recognised as such, but people do many other things to get together which are not in any way related to alcohol. These buses will facilitate both of those types of people. We cannot spend all of this money exclusively on providing breathalysers for publicans. People who do not drink and engage in other activities should be facilitated as well.

On the question of metrics, the idea is to connect communities, get people together, let them have a social life and visit their friends. It is as simple as that. They cannot do that at the moment. The measurement - as I said to Deputy Troy and Deputy Munster - will be whether it brings people together, reduces rural isolation and improves the standard and quality of life of people in rural Ireland. That will include people going to pubs, sports events, bingo and those visiting friends. It is much wider that just drink.