Retention of rural transport scheme welcomed

ACTIVE RETIREMENT groups have welcomed the Government commitment to the continuation of the Rural Transport Scheme.

Minister of State with responsibility for older people Áine Brady told an Active Retirement Ireland meeting yesterday that the Government had committed itself to the scheme in the revised programme for government.

The McCarthy report had suggested ceasing funding for the scheme, which provides buses to take older people in rural areas to local towns and villages.

The revised programme says: “We will explore the provision of a full-scale transport system in rural areas using the network expertise of Bus Éireann, the . . . resources of the school transport system and the financial resources being spent on transport by the HSE and the Department of Education.”

Active Retirement Ireland’s president Tom O’Mahony said the scheme provided a lifeline to many older people who otherwise would suffer isolation. “We now hope that this commitment means that any pre-budget talks about a reduction or abolition of the scheme will now be shelved,” he said.

Ms Brady said she could not give any commitment that the old-age pension would not be cut in the budget. “We have to look at all of those things,” she told reporters. “Our first commitment will be to frontline services for older people.”

Mr O’Mahony warned that cutting pensions and services would result in a bigger costs in the long run. “These cuts will impact on the welfare of older people, with more requiring interventions like hospital care”

Mr O’Mahony said reasonable pension payments allowed older people to enjoy a better quality of life, eat good-quality food, ensure their homes were warm and enjoy an occasional social outing.

He said the retired population could be a useful resource during the recession because they had skills such as preparing household budgets, repairing clothes and growing vegetables.