Seán Kyne (Galway West, Fine Gael)
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Question 664: To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport when a decision will be made on the smarter travel competition to which Galway County and City Councils have made a joint submission. [9629/11]

Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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A decision has yet to be announced regarding the outcome of the Smarter Travel Areas Competition. The future of this Programme is being considered in the context of the available budget for 2011 and the National Recovery Plan. Galway County and City Councils, as well as the local Oireachtas representatives, will be notified of the outcome of the authorities' joint bid in due course.

This programme is one I believe has considerable merit. While the scope and scale originally envisaged for the scheme is no longer possible given the current fiscal situation, there may be some scope to proceed with a scheme scaled back in size. I believe that Smarter Travel Areas have the potential to provide a basis for future evidence based investment in the range of sustainable travel measures. I intend to formally delegate the Smarter Travel Areas under the Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport to the Minister of State with responsibility for Public and Commuter Transport, Deputy Alan Kelly, in the coming days.