Terence Flanagan (Dublin North East, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I wish to welcome the Commissioner and his staff, as well as Ms Barbara Nolan from the European Commission's Dublin office. It is estimated that it would cost €3 billion to electrify Ireland's rail network. We are not in a position to fulfil that cost at the moment, but I would like to hear the Commissioner's opinion on that. We are an island nation and are not connected to Europe as such, which will post difficulties for us.

What is the Transport Commissioner's biggest current challenge? What would he like to see being achieved during Ireland's EU Presidency?

Ireland has some fantastic roads but we are missing rest stops and service stations along motorways to enable drivers to take a break. Would a proposal for a rest stop every 50 km be appropriate for a country like Ireland?