Richard Bruton (Dublin North Central, Fine Gael)

The plan will cost €34.4 billion. Maps were produced that were virtually identical to those produced previously. A total of 35 of the 40 projects were announced previously. Every householder will be asked to pay €25,000 through taxes or road tolls but they were not given any detailed costings, evaluations of the key items or prioritisation of projects based on the rates of return. Why is the Government denying these types of details to the public, which must pay this money in the coming years? Any plan worth its salt would have them. Most of the previous plans originating from any Government source were not slim volumes of this nature or did not cost €34.4 billion but were substantial documents.

I suppose we must accept it on faith when Ministers tell us that detailed and due diligence has been paid to this plan and careful scrutiny has been carried out. Will the Taoiseach answer three questions on the plan under this heading? First, will he give an indication of when work on the Luas line to Lucan will start? Will the Taoiseach state how much will the metro cost? Will he also state which projects will be funded under public private partnership? If he has done the due diligence and the analysis he stated he has, those are not unreasonable questions on specific flagship projects within the plan.

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