Paschal Donohoe (Dublin Central, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

When the Luas cross city project is complete, a whole lot of other transport projects will take its place. None will be equal in size to Luas cross city but many other projects will be moving forward to take its place to deliver better public transport for people. I am committed to working with the Minister, Deputy Ross, in the context of this budget to look at how we can improve public transport provision. I do that because the analysis the Deputy has offered of the importance of public transport is one I accept. I will try to make progress on that in budget day and in the ten-year capital plan to follow because we need to.

The Deputy asked a question about sprawl and the site value tax. I agree we need to find ways to ensure the development in our cities is a better development that allows more people to live in it and to make those population centres more concentrated. I support the Minister, Deputy Murphy, in the work he is doing in that area and in further decisions he will make on it so we can promote higher quality dense residential development in our large cities. That needs to happen.

On the environmental element of the budget and the focus I have on economic matters, I will say I am before the budgetary oversight committee. The committee is asking me questions about the budget and the economy. If I have not said this to the committee before, I am preoccupied by and focused on certain economic indicators, such as our exchange rate, bond yields and structural deficit. They are vital and are what give me and the country the resources to benefit our society. I see the true importance of those indicators being how they can create resources and give us the ability to make a difference to our citizens and all the challenges they have in their daily lives.

On the question of basic income, I said a moment ago I will not be making any announcements today on budgetary decisions on budget day. It is fair to say, I will not be announcing a basic income scheme for Ireland on budget day. I have not read "Utopia for Realists". I have read some of the thinking done by George Monbiot, who has a book out in that area at the moment. I would be very interested in engaging with any communities that have any ideas regarding how they want to look at a scheme such as that but it is not something we are in a position to countenance for the entire country at this point in time.