Alan Kelly (Tipperary North, Labour)

The programme for Government acknowledges the importance of transport for rural communities and includes a commitment to maintain and extend the rural transport programme with other local transport services as much as is practical. Work in that regard is proceeding and I am very supportive of it. However, like all Government funded programmes, the rural transport programme, RTP, is being considered in the context of the ongoing central review of expenditure which is endeavouring to identify savings.

I assure the Deputy that I am very much aware that public transport is not just an urban issue, but one that is very real for rural areas. The issue of rural transport and preventing rural isolation is quite close to my heart, given that I, like the Deputy, come from a small village in Tipperary. Many people in rural areas have great difficulty accessing services, and schemes such as the RTP can and do transform life for those who benefit from it. I am very committed to this continuing as a way of trying to tackle rural isolation. I am examining this issue on two fronts, both as part of my role regarding rural transport but also in the context of the review of the taxi sector, where I am actively examining the role of taxis and hackneys in rural areas with a view to trying to tackle the rural isolation caused by a lack of transport in many areas, even in areas where the RTP is operating.

I am also aware of the importance of country pubs in the economy. A visit to an Irish pub is an acknowledged attraction for foreign visitors. A pub accreditation scheme is being rolled out by Fáilte Ireland throughout the country. Pubs are a central component of communities in rural areas. As regards tax incentives and local authority rates, these are the respective responsibilities of the Minister for Finance and the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government.

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