Peter Burke (Longford-Westmeath, Fine Gael)
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440. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport if grants are offered by his Department that pay for a taxi service for elderly and immobile persons who live alone and cannot avail of public transport; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [52867/17]

Shane Ross (Dublin Rathdown, Independent)
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As Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport, I have responsibility for policy and overall funding in relation to public transport. There is no grant available from my Department to fund the type of taxi service outlined by the Deputy.

My Department's high-level policy goal for accessible public transport is embodied in the concept of Transport Access for All. This policy is based on the provisions of the Disability Act 2005 and related Government strategies, in particular the National Disability Inclusion Strategy (NDIS) 2017-2021 launched in July last. The NDIS includes a number of transport-related actions, for which the Department, the National Transport Authority (NTA) and-or passenger transport operators have lead responsibility for implementing.

Funding is provided to the NTA by my Department for the Rural Transport Programme, which now operates under the "Local Link" brand. Its mission statement is to provide a quality nationwide community based public transport system in rural Ireland which responds to local needs. Core objectives include addressing social exclusion arising from unmet transport needs and greater integration of its services with other public transport services.