Michael McNamara (Clare, Labour) | Oireachtas source

I am pleased to hear work is under way to determine the optimal structure for the delivery of rural transport from an efficiency and service perspective. My question is what structures are being examined. Among the proposals being examined, are the Minister of State and the Department looking at a direct award process?

Unlike some of the speakers, I do not have a problem with council involvement - for example, who better to identity the services necessary in Clare than Clare County Council? However, the issue is that Clare County Council does not have a fleet of buses and it certainly does not have a fleet of the specialist buses that Clare Accessible Transport has. Once a county council, be it in Clare, Tipperary, Carlow or anywhere else, identifies the need, who will provide the service? While I presume it will be a service provider, to whom will the service provider be contracted? For example, will it be to the council or to the National Transport Authority?

The Minister of State referred to regional co-ordination units. Will this be for all of the country or will a direct award process also be considered for some areas? In this regard, Clare and Waterford are areas that have been mentioned and Kerry has particularly advanced programmes in place at present. What costs will operators be allowed to include if there are direct awards? At present, Clare Accessible Transport already meets the 13% administrative threshold which the Minister of State indicates is desirable.

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