Róisín Shortall (Dublin North West, Labour)

It is very disingenuous of the Minister to try to score cheap political points. He knows perfectly well that the road system is highly subsidised by the taxpayer. He should also know that the cost to the taxpayer of road freight is very high. If we lose the remaining tiny proportion of freight currently travelling by rail, it will cost the taxpayer some €36 million a year. That has been fully costed and refers to wear and tear on the roads, not to mind the increased likelihood of accidents or the environmental impacts of having more HGVs travelling through residential areas.

Almost every other country in Europe subsidises the operation of rail freight. I asked the Minister if he had a policy and he clearly has none. He has spoken about opening up the market but there was no interest. There is no interest because it does not stack up unless all the costs are included. We can look at internal costs but the Minister and his Government should also take into account external costs.

Will the Minister be proactive in this area and end the hands-off approach? We have a serious problem with the amount of freight carried on our roads and we are paying a heavy cost for it.

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