Mr. Michael Nolan:

The Deputy began by talking about how congestion impedes the Dublin's economic and social development and health. I completely agree with her on that. It is a major impediment. She also referred to census figures showing increases in the population in Dublin and the greater Dublin area. Large increases are occurring in the counties surrounding Dublin. That opens up a conversation about why this is happening. Nobody drives on the M50 because they like driving on it. Is it that people have to drive further to find affordable housing? There are so many considerations we need to understand. It is very hard to understand the circumstances of a single person in a car. The increase we have seen between 2012 and 2018 is not entirely attributable to the bounce in economic growth and the recovery. There is a lot more coming into play. I do not live in Dublin; I live in one of the counties outside Dublin and I know from experience that people who cannot afford accommodation in Dublin, be they students, trainees or workers, have to drive further. Driving for two to three hours each way in a car every day is not a matter of choice. This relates to Deputy Troy's point. A policy response to this and to the expansion of the greater Dublin area is not in TII's remit. I refer to the question of what other elements are driving the disproportionate increase involving the city centre at the core and the greater Dublin area counties.