Brian Stanley (Laois-Offaly, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

Please do, if that could be examined. We are supposed to try to reduce carbon emissions but the emissions being created in manufacturing these massive jeeps or Jaguars, mostly used for short journeys in and around cities where there is already public transport, does not make sense while people in rural areas have neither public transport nor the option of a modest-sized EV, which most of us would be happy enough with.

I turn to the Ballybrophy to Limerick rail line. I thank Ms Graham for the replies. She sent me back a lot of information on this over the year. Just under €50 million was spent on this in the last ten years between maintenance and investment. That is welcome however a point that I have made before and will make again today, one train goes up and down that line once a day. There is huge potential there. We have a regional strategy, which I welcome, with the delivery of Limerick, Galway and Waterford. We need to seriously look at how we can use that line to increase tourism around Limerick, the south west, Tipperary and south Laois. It is travelling to Ballybrophy. Much more use could be made of it. The car park has been expanded at Ballybrophy station which we looked for and is good news. The line has been upgraded. I have received answers in the past that the travel speeds had to be kept low because of the lack of investment but substantial investment has gone into it. It needs an on-the-spot, up-to-date engineering examination. I ask Mr. Gaston to come back to me on that. There is tourism potential but there are also large numbers of students and workers commuting from south Laois, down through Tipperary, Roscrea, Cloughjordan, Nenagh and the towns along there, who would make use of it. It goes straight into south Laois. There are tourism and commuter opportunities that can be exploited and explored.