Fidelma Healy Eames (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

Cuirim fáilte roimh an Aire Stáit. I would like the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht to ensure all avenues are explored to enable a year long viable ferry service to Inis Mór for its inhabitants.

As the Minister of State knows, Inis Mór is the largest of the Aran Islands off the west coast. I would argue, on the basis of the details of what has happened in this case, that the islanders on Inis Mór have been placed at a considerable disadvantage by comparison with the inhabitants of other islands, including Inis Meáin and Inis Oírr. The location of these islands means the residents have always had to deal with a cost of living that is 30% higher than the cost of living elsewhere. The residents of Inis Mór are now at a considerable disadvantage following the withdrawal of the subsidised ferry service. I suggest that they are suffering social exclusion as a result.

This is the scéal. The subsidised ferry service to Inis Mór ended in January 2013. More than a year has passed without a subsidised ferry service. This has had an adverse effect on the number of people travelling to the island. I will give an example. It now costs €15 for an adult to travel from Inis Mór to Galway and back. When the subsidised service was in place, the fare was €8. It has almost doubled. The ferry service can no longer give a commitment that it will be able to continue to provide a year-long service. It is now saying that the provision of a service during the winter months is not viable at all. The islanders are having to contend with higher costs while facing the prospect of having no ferry service for four or five months of the year. As the Minister of State can imagine, that would involve a considerable degree of exclusion. The fare for a child is €8 and the fare for a student is €12. The equivalent fares to and from Inis Oírr and Inis Meáin are €10 per adult and €5 per child. There is a considerable difference. The effects of this fare increase are noticeable in the passenger numbers. For example, the number of people travelling on the ferry from Doolin to Inis Mór has decreased by 50,000. Such huge drops in passenger numbers are affecting tourism. As the Minister of State knows, the Aran Islands were one of the jewels in our tourism crown. I hope they still are.

As a direct result of the significant increase in the travel fare costs of families, the number of schools and students travelling to sporting and cultural events has decreased. Teams are no longer able to compete to the same extent as they were previously. As I have said, there has been a reduction in the number of tourists travelling to the island. Primary and secondary schools are finding it difficult to participate in school-related events on the island. I will give an example. It will now cost a family with three secondary school students €36 for them to travel to a sporting event like a match. That is before they even set foot on the mainland. It is a considerable factor. The cost of food and bus transport at the other side must also be considered. It can cost such a family over €100 for their children to participate in a school trip. We all think the cost of living is difficult these days. We all want our children and teenagers to participate in various events. In the circumstances I have outlined, it is easy to understand why a family might decide the children should skip a certain event. This is a form of social exclusion.

I am keen to hear what the Minister of State has to say. The levy that has been imposed by Galway County Council on the pier is an added difficulty for islanders. I would like the Minister to intervene in this regard. The islanders feel this is a very unfair tax. They are vehemently opposed to it. They are being hit in two ways: they have no subsidised ferry service and an unfair levy is being imposed on them by Galway County Council. All in all, they are at a considerable disadvantage. We had a meeting with representatives of the island's comharchumann in Galway city a week or ten days ago. They are really concerned not only about the cost, but also about the possibility that the service might disappear for four to five months of the year. The Minister of State is probably aware that the current air service to the island is in jeopardy. We have managed to maintain it. We had to fight to keep it for an extra year. Are we supposed to forget about our islands? Should we forget about Inis Mór, in particular? At present, it is the only island to which the story I am bringing to the Minister of State applies. I will listen to what she has to say in response. I know she is here in an acting capacity on behalf of the Minister of State with responsibility for the Gaeltacht.