Luke Flanagan (Roscommon-South Leitrim, Independent)
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Question 5: To ask the Minister for Transport; Tourism and Sport if the National Integrated Rural Transport Committee will be prioritising the integration of the stakeholders and their transport needs to provide integrated transport services on the ground; the progress to date on this initiative; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23397/12]

Alan Kelly (Tipperary North, Labour)
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This question relates to proposals for integrated rural transport. Following a Government decision last January I allocated responsibility for the rural transport programme, RTP, and for the integration agenda to the National Transport Authority, NTA. I also announced the establishment of the national integrated rural transport committee, NIRTC, chaired by the NTA to oversee a more focused and coherent approach to the integration of local and rural transport. The committee is drawn from organisations representing key stakeholders including rural transport groups, Bus Éireann, the HSE, Pobal, local authorities and policy makers from relevant Departments.

At its meeting last Friday, the committee established sub-groups to examine four key areas including health related transport services; schools transport service integration; logistics such as trip-booking systems, ticketing and information; and appropriate structures to support integration, including the key role of local authorities. These groups will involve other stakeholders in their work and will seek input from appropriate sources.

The NTA, in conjunction with the committee, will manage a partnership approach to implementing integrated local and rural transport in order to achieve greater synergies, meet identified transport needs and deliver value for money for the Exchequer. A key to progressing this agenda is the decision to develop proposals for a number of model areas. These model areas will, with an evidence based approach, test how integrated local and rural transport services can best operate and how savings can be achieved across the various transport services. The outcome of the model areas will inform the wider national roll out of integrated rural transport services on an incremental basis. The NTA, in conjunction with the committee, will select the models and submit them to me for approval. I expect to announce these in the near future.

This new approach, which is endorsed by the Government, is the first time that a national focus and coherence has been brought to the delivery on an integrated rural transport service. This reflects the importance that the Government attaches to the contribution that a carefully designed and efficient rural transport service based on local needs will make to overcoming social exclusion in rural areas.

Luke Flanagan (Roscommon-South Leitrim, Independent)
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That is good news. It will be even better news if the talk turns into action. The Minister of State lives in rural Ireland and as he knows, a proper integrated rural transport system would be a huge boon to rural areas. It would help people with disabilities in particular to live more independently. When I was canvassing for the 2009 local elections I was struck by the frequency with which the issue of rural transport arose, particularly when I visited a house where there was an English person or someone from outside the country, although this was an issue that had not arisen much in the previous five years. It struck me then that as someone living in rural Ireland, I was not ambitious enough for the service we had. These people seemed to think the provision of rural transport services should be the norm.

It is clear there are significant resources. We have school buses that are idle when school is closed and when pupils are not being brought to and from school and we have services paid for by the HSE that are duplicated and unco-ordinated. For example, we might have two people travelling on a bus on a 20-mile journey and two other people on a similar bus going to the same place at the same time, all paid for by the HSE. I am pleased to hear a committee has been set up to consider an integrated approach, but we need action. That would bring about a good situation.

Alan Kelly (Tipperary North, Labour)
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I thank the Deputy for his comments. As the Deputy knows, mine is a very rural constituency and this issue is something about which I am very passionate. I thank him for his support for the initiative. Much of this is common sense. The issue should not be about rural transport, but about transport in rural areas, which should not be a different issue than for other areas. People who live in rural areas deserve transport as much as people in urban areas. However, there are huge challenges. We need to face reality. We cannot continue with a situation where the level of spend on taxis on non-acute HSE services increases every year when that money could be utilised better in an integrated approach to transport. Nor can we continue with the situation relating to school transport, where we have buses left parked on the side of the road for a number of hours a day and left idle over the summer months.

However, there are larger issues. Local authorities need to be involved in this because of the issues relating to co-ordination. We also need to be aware of what other issues outside of transport we need to deal with when we try to integrate the services so as to ensure that transport services can be delivered. For example, we need to look at the issue of the scheduling of medical appointments in hospitals in order to develop a coherent transport policy that will allow us ensure people can travel on the one bus. All these issues are being examined. The group is considering the model areas and I hope to be able to announce them in the near future. These will look at the issues raised by the Deputy and myself here.

Luke Flanagan (Roscommon-South Leitrim, Independent)
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This is a very good idea but we need action. We have had plenty of good ideas that have never been followed through. It seems to take years to develop programmes and the sooner this is done the better for me, the Minister of State and all those living in rural areas.