Jack Wall (Kildare South, Labour)
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Question 195: To ask the Minister for Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs the research that he has carried out as to the effectiveness of the rural night time transport scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29078/10]

Pat Carey (Dublin North West, Fianna Fail)
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Within the overall Governmental approach to meeting rural transport needs, my Department provided funding, on a pilot basis, between 2007 and 2009 for an evening/night-time rural transport service in seven selected areas. This pilot scheme was in addition to the rural transport services already provided in the seven areas under the Department of Transport's 'Rural Transport Programme', which operates nationally.

The pilot arrangement was intended to give the rural transport groups involved the opportunity to consider evening/night-time services for inclusion in their main transport services.

My Department reviewed the pilot initiative and found that it had brought benefits to the areas covered and its alignment in due course with the mainstream Rural Transport Programme was desirable.

Subsequently, at my Department's request, Pobal worked with the rural transport providers to assess how the evening services that they operated might be incorporated into the Rural Transport Programme. In general, it was found that the groups involved had made good use of the pilot initiative to test various services and, where appropriate, were including evening services within their rosters.