Noel Rock (Dublin North West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I want to open my remarks in a similar vein. This is a good example of the committee system working. The hearings we had with the various stakeholders before the committee were constructive and useful. It was beneficial for the committee to go out and see the projects that we discuss here in an abstract way and the impact they would have on a community or an area. I hope that if other projects come before us, no matter where they are in the city or the country we display that same spirit of going out to the world and meeting with the people because that was very good. I also praise the NTA for listening to the points raised and taking on board the concerns of those various stakeholders. While the media reports that the solution is being considered, much as Mr. Creegan has said today, it is good that if anybody, the Oireachtas or a semi-State body is listening to, and taking on board the concerns of the citizenry. There have been 8,000 submissions to the public consultation. That is an unprecedented number. I am genuinely delighted that those voices are being heard.

My two questions follow from the Chairman's question on that. The witnesses might come back to them at the end. What are the cost implications of single bore rather than a twin bore solution? What are the timing implications of any change? My understanding is that it would make no change unless it expedites the work and potentially makes it a bit cheaper. Do the witnesses have any informed views on that now?

I have been fulsome in my praise of the agency. It does great work and faces great challenges. It is filled with good people and will have a good legacy. The plan for 230 km of dedicated cycle lanes and 16 dedicated bus corridors has transformative potential for the city, which, as we all know because we have to come to work here in Dublin 2, at times crawls to a halt. That will be exacerbated in the coming years. Getting ahead of this and having a plan is important, trying to change people's mentalities in terms of how bus networks and transport systems work is important. The BusConnects plan is important but there are some difficulties in its presentation for the consultation. Why was such a specific number of affected households outlined in this phase 1 release? If we do not know the identities of the households how do we know an exact number of them? This is one of the issues that gives rise to great concern among the public. There are 16 routes and along them there are more than 20,000 abodes yet a very specific number of 1,300 has been identified. How was that arrived at? Would it not have been prudent to either reach out to those households and tell them they may be affected if the plans stand unaltered or to wait and release phase 1 and the upcoming phase 2 of the consultation in September-October together? If the NTA is going to alert property owners, for example, on one or both sides of the Swords Road, which is a very narrow road in Santry, that they may need to sell parts of their land would it not have been better to release both phases of the plan together or engage with those people at this phase 1 stage rather than leave them in the limbo they inhabit now? It looks as if phase 1 was released for public relations purposes and that the real meat of the consultation is coming in September or October.

I wonder should both releases not have been released together to avoid this negative external attention we now face, which in many ways is very reminiscent of what happened with Na Fianna. Similarly, as regards the consultation, I know the Chairman got an invitation relatively close-----