Mr. Pat Maher:

This issue has been the subject of some discussion, and possibly at this committee in recent times. The explanation for the presence of the barrier and why the tunnel is different from the M50 is because there is a tunnel. We need to maintain a degree of control in terms of our capacity to stop vehicles going into the tunnel in an emergency situation, so we must have the capacity to control access. We are not allowed, for safety reasons, to have standing traffic within the tunnel.

Deputy Murphy made the point last time I was here about the disruption caused to hauliers by virtue of having that barrier come down. What we have at the tunnel is a legacy tolling system. It is there since the tunnel opened in 2006.