Ms Issy Petrie:

The €59 in our submission comes from the Vincentian Partnership for Social Justice's minimum essential standard of living. Within the partnership's research there was a consensus that when people live in a rural area there is the need for a car. Then the partnership goes through and costs the items associated with a car - insurance, periodic maintenance, etc. - and that is then distributed over the year to come up with a minimum essential standard of living. Our recommendation or our priority in that regard is the real investment that is needed in an adequate, accessible and affordable rural transport system to get towards tipping that balance in order that households perhaps will not need a car at some point in the future. Currently, cars are vital for rural dwellers to get to work and to essential appointments. Those data are from the Vincentian Partnership for Social Justice.