Dominic Hannigan (Labour)

I welcome the Minister. I am disappointed the analysis and results of the pilot study do not appear to have not been made available. In effect, we are being asked to discuss a service that has been successful in a vacuum. It would have been helpful to have had figures in advance of this debate. It would have also been helpful to have had a copy of the Minister's speech rather than simply listening to him read it. I am lucky that I have a copy of his previous speech on this issue dating back to 12 March 2007. I would like the Minister to clarify something he said today compared to what said then. I understand from what he said today that this service was set up largely for people who may have had cars but wanted to access local public services. In his 2007 speech he said, "A classic example of the lack of comprehension was the stream of articles and reports about the fact that I was going to set up a fleet of 'booze buses"". He went on say that regional newspapers "reported accurately what I actually said, which was that I was proposing a night-time rural transport system to tackle rural social isolation, which would be community-led and provide transport to social gatherings, bingo, mass, youth clubs etc". I would like him to clarify that the purpose of this proposal is to cater for people who want to go to youth clubs or to access night-time work and not purely for those who want to go to the local pub, as important a place of meeting as that is. Some clarity is needed on that.

The Minister is right to try to mainstream these pilot studies. It is not right to introduce a pilot study and then renew it. A pilot study proves whether something is worthwhile. If the provision of a service is not worthwhile, we need to stop wasting Government money on it, but if it is worthwhile, we need to support it. I recognise the merit of that. In the absence of any detailed analysis on this pilot study, it is difficult to establish which of these services were worthwhile.

I accept many benefits are derived from the provision of rural transport services. I recently carried out a survey in the rural areas of County Meath to which 900 rural dwellers responded. In the survey I posed questions on how social involvement depends on transport and on rural isolation. It is evident that if public transport services are made available in the day time and at night time, people will use them and this will result in a greater sense of community. Has the analysis of the pilot study considered factors such as the social benefits of such a service and not only the fare box revenue collected by the driver of a vehicle every time he or she picks up a passenger? Does the analysis take account of factors such as the consequent lowering of accident rates on the roads, the social cohesion benefits that will flow from the ability of people to get around more and the better physical and mental health that will result from people being able to mix and mingle and get out more in their communities? We need also to consider the jobs saved by the ability of people to go to their local bingo hall or to their local pub. Have those benefits been taken into account?. Have the benefits of the ability of people to access their local jobs markets in the evening, perhaps to go to work in the local town, been taken into account? I would like to have the details underpinning the results of the pilot study. I am willing to take what the Minister said at face value. If he tells me that any worthwhile schemes will be maintained and will be run under the rural transport initiative, I am happy to accept that, but we need to see that analysis and to have that commitment. Mr. Seamus Boland, the chief executive of Irish Rural Link, said that this is part of the salami slicing of rural transport which sees local communities lose vital services. I hope he is wrong. I hope the Minister does not believe that and that he will make money available for schemes that should be saved.

In his speech on this subject two years ago, the Minister said:

It's up to every person living in a rural area to use their vote so that the voice of rural people can be clearly heard. Vote for whatever party you believe is doing the most for rural development...

If these pilot studies show that they are of benefit, that the services are being used and that the social benefits emanating from them exceed the cost provision, it is vital the Government makes the necessary funding available for them. I would like the Minister to clarify that such funding will be made available and that he will guarantee that funding will be made available for successful pilot schemes. I congratulate him on his initiative. He is correct in saying we cannot continue with pilot schemes; if they are successful, they must be funded and if they are not, they must be cut. We need to have the detailed analysis behind the Minister's appraisal.