Olivia Mitchell (Dublin South, Fine Gael)

I am pleased the Minister intends to reform the 1932 Act. However, this is hardly refreshing news. Such reform was promised by the Minister's predecessors, namely, Deputy Mary O'Rourke, who stated she would introduce competition, Deputy Séamus Brennan, who stated that he would open up 25% of the market to competition, and Deputy Martin Cullen, who stated that 15% of the market would be opened to competition. The Minister for Health and Children, Deputy Mary Harney, stated in 2003 that she would walk away from Government unless competition was introduced. However, there is still no competition and the Taoiseach recently stated it is an insult to the good men and women of Dublin Bus etc., if we even discuss competition.

What is the current position? I appreciate the Dublin transport authority is extremely important but its establishment is not a sufficient condition for reform of the Transport Act. What we are seeking is competition in the bus market. Such competition has been the subject of discussion for the past ten years and the lack of it has given rise to a ludicrous situation whereby the Dublin Port tunnel is operating way under capacity. The tunnel is a huge white elephant. I laughed when I heard about it being used by 1 million vehicles in the past six months. That figure represents only a fraction of its capacity. Encouraging the use of the tunnel by public and private transport operators should be an absolute priority. The current nonsensical position is a direct result of failure to make any progress on the reform of the 1932 Act. Will the Minister act on what I have outlined as a priority?

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