Rural transport deal close - Ó Cuív

Minister for Community and Rural Affairs Eamon Ó Cuív says he has agreed the parameters of a pilot scheme to provide a night-time bus service for rural pub-goers with the Minister of State for Transport Pat The Cope Gallagher.

Mr Ó Cuív said officials from his Department are currently in discussions with the Department of Transport and he hoped there would be further progress on the matter to report in the coming weeks.

He indicated the subsidised service would only be available in rural areas where there is no transport or taxi service.

The Government is seeking to have plans for the initiative in place prior to the upcoming general election.

Mr Ó Cuív said: "It is an area that I feel needs some attention to ensure that we provide, as far as we can, a reasonable level of rural transport service, while acknowledging that the population levels in some areas are low."

The Minister said funding for the latest Rural Development Programme will now amount to €425.4 million over the seven-year period.

Mr Ó Cuív said he expected the money to be used to promote significant progress in on-farm diversification into non-agricultural activities and rural tourism initiatives built on the sustainable development of our natural resources, culture and heritage.

Mr Ó Cuív was speaking at the launch of a three-year strategic plan by the rural development lobby group Irish Rural Link.

The IRL believes access to services is the key to sustaining rural Irish communities.

The body's chief executive Seamus Boland said: "To ensure that the 40 per cent of our population who live in rural areas have a decent quality of life we need to ensure that they can access basic social services in their own areas.

"The alternative is that the younger and better educated will choose to move away to larger towns and cities and those who remain are will be left with declining levels of local services," he said.

In its plan, the group highlighted what it described as the "invisibility of rural disadvantage", identifying the key challenges facing rural Irish communities as limited access to key public services and the need for enhanced community cohesion.

It also pinpointed the limited provision of mental health services and the limited access to information and information technology.

It said its strategic priorities were to Influence policy development and implementation at local, national and European levels and to increase membership, and strengthen and build capacity of members.