Steven Matthews (Wicklow, Green Party) | Oireachtas source

I agree with the Minister on that. People have many different reasons as to why they want to get rid of traffic congestion, and whether the goal is to reduce emissions, improve air quality or improve the economic benefits that accrue to an area all of these reasons add up. If we look at something such as the town centre first policy where we are trying to rejuvenate town centres, and the Croí Cónaithe fund where we are trying to assist people to bring town centre buildings back into use as a home, there are a number of areas where the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage has a big role to play. Where a terraced building is being developed as a home there is often a narrow little strip of footpath outside. It is a terror for somebody walking out with a child in the morning. The funding available to them does not allow the homeowner to develop the street frontage. There has to be buy-in from the Department of housing as the urban regeneration funds will cover this. There needs to be funding at local authority level for interventions at street level which are outside the remit of the building owner.

There is also a health issue. We know about the impact of air quality on health, especially on the lungs of little children walking to school. Any parent who has ever walked to school in the morning knows there is a line of traffic, and depending on the weather conditions you can almost feel that horrible congestion in your chest when you are breathing it in. The Department of Rural Community and Development also has a role. How do we pull these Departments together? There have been calls for a Minister for infrastructure. Does the Minister think this is the direction to go on it?