Seán Fleming (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

Yes, but the Minister is part of the review which is examining usage data which include information on routes. I know it will be up to the line Department to make these decisions, but the Minister is part of the review. If he allocates €77 million to a scheme each budget day, he is entitled to know what services are being provided. Services have been reduced, but the Minister is still paying the same amount. Service providers need to be spoken to about this, especially in some of the rural areas where there may not be a train service and people rely on the bus system. This is a wider issue because of the problem of rural isolation. The National Transport Authority does not have the funding to provide local subsidised transport routes in areas where there are no major commercial services operating. This needs to be taken into account because the emphasis in the case of some of the bus companies is on moving people from city to city at the expense of those in provincial towns and rural areas.

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