Brian Cowen (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail)

No, we need interurban road networks as well. It is not one or the other. We need to provide for all forms of public transport within realistic budgetary parameters. We need to make clear that we are sanctioning certain projects and then proceed to develop them. Everyone has a wish list and a vision of how things should develop, but we have to set priorities and recognise that there is a need for all modes of transport, particularly in urban areas like Dublin. I believe that the debate about the competing merits of rail and road services will intensify. The Government has given a commitment to examine how it can provide improved public transport. It understands that encouraging the greater use of public transport relates not only to the tax system, but also to the quality of investment.

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