Pat O'Neill (Fine Gael)

As the Fine Gael Party spokesperson on transport, I am pleased to welcome the Minister of State, Deputy Kelly, to the Upper House. I assure Senator Daly that urban based Fine Gael and Labour Party Ministers still have their finger on the pulse and will not ignore rural Ireland, unlike members of the previous Government who lost touch with people.

The Minister of State has a very difficult task on his hands in identifying ways to deliver better services with empty coffers. I have no doubt that he is up to the task. As a rural based Senator, I am acutely conscious of the importance of good rural transport. A State subsidised rural transport service not only helps to deliver some measure of equality between rural and urban areas but fulfils a vital service in combating rural isolation, which is a particular problem for the elderly. Not every older person is in a position to run a car and those who have been widowed or never married often live alone. A local bus service is a lifeline for such people.

A study published by the Society of St. Vincent de Paul this month reported that loneliness is the biggest problem faced by older people. The report referred to the importance of rural transport in addressing the sense of isolation often felt by older people. However, it is not just for social reasons that rural transport is of importance. A local bus service is essential for performing practical tasks such as visiting a doctor when one is unwell, going to the shops and buying fuel.

The local bus service in my area, which is known as "Ring a Link", provides services to rural people in three counties - Kilkenny, Carlow and south Tipperary. The service provides buses which collect rural people at their door and bring them to their local town, village or train station. It is an important service which we must keep. In these difficult economic times I recognise that there is need for greater efficiency. One of the key factors that will make the Government different from its predecessors is that whereas the previous Government implemented swingeing, blunt cuts, the current Government approaches matters from the point of view of seeking to achieve systematic reform and efficiency. Rural transport services can undoubtedly be made more efficient.

I am conscious that the Government is providing funding to the tune of €10.62 million for the rural transport programme this year. Ring a Link is one of many services which operate under the rural transport network. I am sure not all rural transport services operate in a uniform manner and it is perhaps possible to identify best practice across all counties. A recent Central Statistics Office survey, which found that more than 50% of people in rural areas believed they did not have access to transport, shows that the rural transport network has not yet reached many people in rural Ireland, even in terms of making them aware of its existence. I acknowledge that some people in rural areas may have cultural barriers to overcome. For example, those who are used to having an independent means of transport may hesitate to begin using a bus service. This is a challenge for the rural transport network to overcome.

I note from the Ring a Link service website that its services are open to everyone in the community. In some cases a modest charge applies while in others there is no charge for the service, including in the case of those who have free transport passes. More work needs to be done to promote this aspect of the service as awareness of it would increase use of the rural transport service and, in turn, help to keep the service viable.

The Fine Gael election manifesto included a commitment, where possible, to integrate school transport, non-emergency HSE transport and the rural transport programme. This idea has been embraced by the rural transport network which last month presented a plan to the Minister of State, Deputy Kelly, proposing a merger of existing public transport systems in rural areas, including the free travel pass, school transport scheme, non-ambulance transport from the Health Service Executive and other CIE systems. I welcome action 14 of the smarter travel policy and hope it will be implemented. The widespread use of taxis by agencies such as the HSE is a serious drain on limited local budgets. In a climate in which front line services must be prioritised and protected we must find efficiencies in areas such as transport.

There is an opportunity for cross-departmental co-operation on this issue. Each Department should identify how much of its budget is spent on transport and how transport services could be better integrated to serve the community. That the rural transport scheme was for many years under the Department formerly known as the Department of Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs illustrates the difficulty the new Government faces and the approach that was typical of the previous Government which appeared intent on fracturing policy areas across as many Departments as possible, making a coherent approach almost impossible.

Fine Gael has long been committed to the concept of reliable and sustainable transport services for rural communities. As the party with the largest cohort of rural based Deputies and Senators, we are well informed about the importance of rural transport provision. The programme for Government reflects Fine Gael policy in the following statement:

The rural transport network is vital for rural communities as a reliable and sustainable transport service. We will maintain and extend the Rural Transport Programme with other local transport services as much as is practicable.

As the Fine Gael Party's spokesperson on transport in the Seanad, I look forward to working with the Minister of State to achieve this goal.

While roads are not within his immediate area of responsibility, the Minister of State works closely with the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport, Deputy Leo Varadkar. For this reason, I take this opportunity to address the issue of road funding, particularly in a rural context. As we all know, our smaller roads were damaged to an unbelievable extent during the past two harsh winters. Potholes became craters and many rural roads simply broke apart. The position was so bad that some roads became impassable. Unfortunately, a great deal of money was required to carry out repairs and inflated repair bills arrived at a bad time for the Exchequer. Fine Gael and the Labour Party gave a commitment in the programme for Government to provide once-off funding to repair the serious damage caused to roads by severe weather. I welcome the Minister's announcement that local authorities will receive an additional €1.25 million in funding for winter maintenance. However, leaving aside the particular and unusual circumstances which arose from the snow and ice of recent years, it remains essential that we continue to invest in smaller roads. I have no doubt that the reason many of our roads were so badly affected was that they had not been properly maintained in the first instance. Instead of being resurfaced, they were patched up here and there.

As with rural transport, we must find a creative way to maintain our rural roads. "Infrastructure" is one of the buzzwords in the programme for Government. I hope rural Ireland is high on the agenda when decisions are being made on infrastructure investment.

As my party's spokesperson on transport, I am anxious to assist the Minister of State in any way I can. I am sure my colleagues feel the same way and have many useful ideas to put to him. I wish him every success in his role in the Department of Transport.