Camillus Glynn (Fianna Fail)

Ba mhaith liom fáilte a chur roimh an Aire. Déanaim comhghairdeas leis as ucht an dea-obair atá déanta aige ar an scéim seo.

As one who hails from a rural area but now lives in a town, I appreciate, as do many if not all other Members, the great innovative measure the Minister took in introducing this scheme, albeit on a pilot basis. He has established that it has been a success. While some people might say the local public house is not the be all and end all of life, which it is not, nevertheless it plays a pivotal role in a rural area, not in terms of what people might drink but in providing an outlet for people to meet and socialise. They do not have to consume alcohol to do that, they could have a mineral, be it an orange, a 7 Up or a Coke.

The pilot scheme has established one fact, namely that there is an established service need. This scheme can be developed. I remember when people in certain estates in Mullingar, which is a sizable provincial town, found it difficult to arrange for their children to be transported to and from school and a local businessman laid on a service. Unfortunately the service was not provided for long but the need existed for such a service. There is also a need for this service. I was disappointed to hear of the high administrative costs of operating the service. That is regrettable. If that can be addressed in some shape or form, the scheme could be successfully run again.

In the game of politics in which we are engaged, one is damned if one does something and one is damned if one does not do something. If the introduction of a measure is the right thing to do and the setting up of this pilot scheme was the right thing to do, then it is a case of hard cheese for those who do not agree with it. I commend the Minister on setting it up. We must encourage the service users to come centre stage to examine what they can do to encourage the further development of this scheme and, as Senator Ó Murchú said, to mainstream the provision of it.

The point was made that this service is required by not only the elderly. While the elderly need a transport service, many other groups also need such a service. They are not necessarily the people who want to go for a drink to their local pub in their rural area. They also have an established service need and that must be addressed in some way.

Many Members have taken an interest in this as is evidenced by the number of Members in the Chamber and the Members who have yet to contribute. Whatever can be done should be done to mainstream this scheme and put it on a solid footing. I and every other Member appreciates that administrative costs not only in this area but in many areas are way too high. If they are too high and are contributing to the restricting of a service, that has to be addressed. I wish the Minister well in his endeavours and commend him on setting up this pilot scheme.