Ms Anne Graham:

Deputy O'Keeffe spoke about funding. We indicated that €500 million over the next 20 years is the minimum required to meet the public transport requirements for the next 20 years. As was indicated, Dublin Airport is growing very fast, with passenger numbers of approximately 20 million to 25 million per year. Our ambition and objective is to serve this with public transport, and metro north is the proposal to do so. It is due to be in place and operational in 2026. Luas cross city will provide access to the city and we would be delighted if committee members use it to access the city centre.

The committee we have established is not a statutory committee, but one we put in place so operators can discuss and share best practice on common issues such as ticketing issues and anti-social behaviour.

A key area which has arisen is park and ride, which is included in the strategy. We would like to provide it as an early part of the transport strategy. Any additional funding that would be made available for transport we would like to put towards park and ride facilities associated with good quality public transport.