Enda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael)

I am not here to decry all the ongoing efforts. The Price family, for instance, as one of 100,000 families in that area, make the point that each week Catherine Price spends two and a half working days in her car and her husband spends another working day in his car. Three and a half days over 100,000 families equates to approximately €3 billion in terms of lost productivity, pressure on time etc.

By the end of this year the Government will have spent €173 million on quality bus corridors, but between 2000 and 2006 Dublin Bus was not given any additional buses. That is obviously a matter that should be dealt with. Having spoken to the drivers of Dublin Bus and of Morton's private buses, neither company has been able to get on to the quality bus corridor in that area. Commuters are being cheated on both fronts. If they take public or private licensed transport, they still cannot make any movement to get out on to the main road.

Will the Minister for Finance consider that immediate implementation of Operation Freeflow would be of assistance? Having gardaí at every relevant junction to keep traffic moving is important. The M50 is being upgraded but it will not be finished until 2011. When the Dublin Port tunnel opens it is expected that between 4,000 and 6,000 trucks will emerge on the platform to get on to the M50. With the work at the new terminal, this will obviously cause further congestion in that area.

Perhaps the following would be helpful. Immediate implementation of Operation Freeflow, allowing an extra 100 private licensed bus operators, another 100 buses in addition to those which have been spoken about by Government, and the immediate establishment of a Dublin transport authority for licensing so that people who want to use public transport or private licensed transport will have that facility. Having spoken to people at first hand, they will avail of such transport. The endless frustration and consternation experienced by so many people who just sit in their cars every morning and evening is unnecessary when in the immediate term the Government can take action which would result in an improvement in the situation.

I realise the Government is providing money for longer-term projects, but these will not bring results over night. The Government could implement five or six proposals immediately to ease this pressure and I recommend strongly that it does so.

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