Éamon Ó Cuív (Galway West, Fianna Fail)
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Tháinig sé mar cheist iontais agus uafáis dom nach bhfuil oileánaigh clúdaithe faoin scéim a fógraíodh go mbeidh laghdú 20% sna táillí taistil ar fud na tíre. Sin ach amháin d’oileánaigh. Tá sé dochreidte go dtarlódh a leithéid agus go bhfágfaí an pobal is mó atá ag brath ar thaisteal poiblí amach as an scéim. Níl aon bhealach isteach agus amach ó na hoileáin ach ar iompar poiblí. Tá súil agam go mbeidh dea-scéal ag an Aire Stáit inniu. Mura bhfuil, coinneoidh mé orm ag troid. Níl aon mhaith d’aon duine a rá gur ceist airgid é seo mar tá €54 milliún á chaitheamh ar an scéim seo ar fud na tíre agus tá sé oibrithe amach ó na figiúirí atá agam go gcosnódh sé idir €50,000 agus €100,000 an cheist seo a chur ina cheart.

The Minister of State can imagine my surprise when I submitted a parliamentary question to her colleague and found out that islanders, who are totally dependent on public transport to and from the islands, be it airtransport in the case of the Aran Islands or boat transport in the case of the Aran Islands and all others, would not benefit from the 20% reduction in public service fares that people from the rest of the country are due to enjoy come 1 April. The first thought that went through my mind was that this was an April fool's joke given that the most isolated, namely those who cannot get off an island without public transport, are the ones left out of the scheme.

I raised the question with the Minister on 17 February and got an answer stating islanders were not included and that Departments were being consulted. It is now March, however, and the clock is ticking. I have no doubt that the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform will be able to raise €50,000 to €100,000. I doubt that this is even margin-of-error funding given that the scheme is to cost €54 million. It seems that the Department of Rural and Community Development should put a scheme to the Minister. I have no doubt that my colleague will come up trumps.

I hope the Minister of State will allay my concerns and ensure genuine equality on this island, the result being that a simple oversight that should not have arisen when the scheme went to Cabinet will be corrected and that she will be able to confirm to me that islanders will enjoy the same reduction that those from the rest of the country will enjoy from 1 April.

Josepha Madigan (Dublin Rathdown, Fine Gael)
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I thank the Deputy. I am taking this topic on behalf of the Minister for Community and Rural Development, Deputy Humphreys.

The sustainability of the communities on our offshore islands is a core objective of the Government, as set out in its rural development policy. The policy acknowledges the importance for island communities of access to reliable, safe and affordable connectivity services to and from the mainland. Contracts for these services are procured by the Department of Rural and Community Development on the open market through the procurement process. This ensures that all providers are treated equally and that the selection process is fair and transparent to all.

The fare reduction scheme recently announced by the Department of Transport will see an average reduction of 20% on transport services managed by the National Transport Authority, NTA, on its behalf. The scheme covers all bus and train services on all NTA networks. It is important to note, however, that all other subsidised transport services managed by the Department of Transport, such as the public service obligation, PSO, air services to Donegal and Kerry, are not covered by the scheme. I understand the Deputy has received a communication in this regard. Similarly, the subsidised transport services to the offshore islands, which services are managed by my Department, do not qualify for the scheme. Unlike the services managed by the NTA, offshore islands have a mix of subsidised and non-subsidised transport services. The introduction of a fare reduction scheme for subsidised services would put private operators at a disadvantage. They would be entitled to seek legal redress if a subsidised service were to get a competitive advantage, such as subsidised fares, on a designated route.

Furthermore, many subsidised operators provide extra sailings beyond what is subsidised, and those extra sailings would not be entitled to the reduction. A fare reduction scheme that applied to subsidised sailings only would create fare inconsistencies for both service operators and users. All the contracted air, ferry and cargo services managed by the Department are procured according to an open and fair procedure. Providing a fare reduction scheme for chosen suppliers would undermine those procedures and be inherently unfair. As any fare reduction scheme for the subsidised service to the islands would have to be implemented in a manner that would be fair to all providers, the Department has no plans to proceed with a scheme at this time. However, I note what the Deputy has said and will put his comments to the Minister, Deputy Humphreys. I acknowledge what the Deputy has said about equality for islanders and will also relay that sentiment to the Minister.

Seán Ó Fearghaíl (Kildare South, Ceann Comhairle)
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I thank the Minister of State. Orwell-----

Éamon Ó Cuív (Galway West, Fianna Fail)
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This is the most Orwellian and misinformed reply I have ever received in this House. Whoever wrote it forgot that I actually put in the existing schemes in place. I hope the Minister of State will listen carefully to how the scheme works. Tenders are sought for services to the islands. According to the tender arrangements, only the islander fare is dictated by the Department. Tourists and non-islanders visiting an island pay at the commercial rate. All I seek is that the 20% apply to the islander fare, which is fixed as part of the contract. Since it would be foolish for an islander to pay a non-subsidised fare to an island, because it would probably be much higher, most of the Minister of State's answer is totally misinformed regarding how the system works. That the Department is more misinformed regarding how the system works than I am is hard to understand.

What I am asking for today is quite simple: do not touch the tourist fares to the islands or those of people like myself, who would pay at the commercial rate, which is much higher than the islander rate, and reduce the specific islander rate, which rate alone is specified in the PSO island contracts. I presume that if I take a private bus or hire one on the mainland and it is not running one of the NTA bus services, the NTA will not say there is unfair competition if the fare on the NTA bus route is 20% cheaper. Plenty of buses in this country are not subsidised or subject to a PSO and, therefore, the Chinese wall put up here today is totally false. From what I have said to the Minister of State, I hope I have demolished the logic of her argument and that somebody will revert to me with a much more rational argument as to why what is very simple can be done and equality may prevail.

Josepha Madigan (Dublin Rathdown, Fine Gael)
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I thank the Deputy. I can hear the frustration in his comments. Nonetheless, I thank him for raising the matter this evening. I will relay his comments to the Minister, Deputy Humphreys. I reiterate that, unlike the NTA, the Department does not subsidise all services on all routes and therefore any fare reduction scheme could-----

Éamon Ó Cuív (Galway West, Fianna Fail)
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The NTA does not either-----

Josepha Madigan (Dublin Rathdown, Fine Gael)
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May I finish?

Éamon Ó Cuív (Galway West, Fianna Fail)
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Expressway is not subsidised by the Department.

Josepha Madigan (Dublin Rathdown, Fine Gael)
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Could I just finish? Unlike the NTA, the Department does not subsidise all services on all routes, and therefore any fare reduction scheme could not be applied evenly and could put private operators at a disadvantage. The Deputy will appreciate that I am taking this topical issue on behalf of the Minister, Deputy Humphreys.

Éamon Ó Cuív (Galway West, Fianna Fail)
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Where is the Minister?

Seán Ó Fearghaíl (Kildare South, Ceann Comhairle)
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The Minister of State should be allowed to conclude.

Josepha Madigan (Dublin Rathdown, Fine Gael)
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I am not in the Department myself. This is the information that I have but I hope the Deputy will be reassured by my stated commitment to speak to the Minister about this. I hear what he is saying about equality for islanders and note his comments on the reduction and the PSO contract. I will pass them on to her. I understand that what the Deputy is suggesting would create fare inconsistencies for the subsidised operators as not all sailings are subsidised. As the Deputy can appreciate, that is the information I have to hand. I understand there is a 20% reduction for NTA fares and understand the Deputy's argument about inequalities in that regard. Again, I will mention the matter to the Minister, whom I am sure will revert to the Deputy in due course.

Seán Ó Fearghaíl (Kildare South, Ceann Comhairle)
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I thank the Minister of State.

I appreciate that she has been dropped in at the deep end on these matters.

Éamon Ó Cuív (Galway West, Fianna Fail)
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I thought there was an arrangement that the Minister was meant to come in.

Seán Ó Fearghaíl (Kildare South, Ceann Comhairle)
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The Minister can sometimes delegate the work to somebody else.

Éamon Ó Cuív (Galway West, Fianna Fail)
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We are back to the old-----

Seán Ó Fearghaíl (Kildare South, Ceann Comhairle)
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I assume the Minister is unavoidably absent. We are grateful to the Minister of State for being here.