Brendan Griffin (Kerry South, Fine Gael)
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To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport if the rural transport programme will be continued; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4662/13]

Alan Kelly (Tipperary North, Labour)
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With regard to the Deputy's question on whether the Rural Transport Programme (RTP) will be continued, I would like to assure the Deputy that since being given responsibility for Public and Commuter Transport, I have been actively working towards delivering on the commitment in the Programme for Government “to maintain and extend the Rural Transport Programme with other local transport services as much as practicable.”  Recognising its importance, €9.133 million has been allocated to the RTP in 2013 which represents only a small decrease on the 2012 allocation of €9.77 million at a very difficult time economically.

On foot of proposals from me, new arrangements were approved by Government for the development and implementation of integrated local and rural transport. Snce 1 April 2012 the National Transport Authority (NTA) has been given national responsibility for integrated local and rural transport including the RTP. This has the effect of placing all State funded local and rural transport services in a broader transport context. I also established a high level committee of key stakeholders, the National Integrated Rural Transport Committee,  chaired by the NTA, to oversee a more focussed and coherent approach to transport integration with a view to eliminating service duplication, better targeting of services at those with greatest need and the rationalisation of administrative structures.

A Value for Money and Policy Review of the RTP published in early 2012 made recommendations to achieve greater efficiencies, deliver value for money for the Exchequer and to ensure the on-going sustainability of the Programme. In this regard the NTA is currently  devising an optimal structure for the delivery of rural transport from an efficiency and service perspective which  will shortly be submitted to me for consideration.