Bertie Ahern (Dublin Central, Fianna Fail)

The challenge for the State is to keep such expenditure at 5% to 6% of GDP. Recently, the engineers said that regardless of what happens to the economy we should be able to do that. I do not think any politician — certainly not myself, or any Taoiseach — would make that claim. If we can do it, however, there is agreement that in 2015 we could have a very modern system. It will have to continue in that order. I have put much effort in that committee into getting a long-term, ordered plan, otherwise we would just keep ticking away and would never get there in anybody's lifetime. There is now a good structure in place in the Department, the National Roads Authority and the local authorities, which communicate and work together, which is a good system.

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