Róisín Shortall (Dublin North West, Labour)

It is a bit disingenuous to sell it on the basis that we will not have to pay a cent until the trains are running but will pay through the nose for it after that. Future generations will be in hock if we go about it the way the Minister proposes.

I would like the Minister to clarify his position on the development levies. He said he was exploring the possibility of development levies. I referred to development levies to raise funding towards the cost of construction, not the operating costs. If he is serious about that and there is much sense in taking that approach, surely it is impossible to combine it with the standard PPP. He should construct a mechanism for financing the metro at an early stage based on raising considerable funds from development levies. However, the Minister seemed to imply from his answer that he will supplement running costs from development levies. If development levies are to be included, the work needs to be done before the model for funding the project is decided. What work has been done thus far?

If the Minister is proposing to examine the possibility of using development levies, the route selection is absolutely critical. He will be attempting to serve those sites where there is potential for development. The proposed route outlined by the RPA, which goes through my constituency, serves low density housing which will not support a metro. There needs to be some variation on that route if sites that have potential for development are to be served. The Minister needs to start looking at that now.

See this speech in context