Timmy Dooley (Clare, Fianna Fail)

I also welcome the Minister of State to the House and welcome this timely debate on Transport 21 that enables Members to reflect on this ambitious plan and agenda as almost two years have elapsed since the programme was set out. I would welcome an opportunity to conduct a regular debate on Transport 21. Because its timeframe is fairly long, it is important to review its progress on an ongoing basis and to review its priorities because priorities undoubtedly change over time.

Transport 21 is the capital investment framework agreed by the Government for the development of the transport infrastructure between 2006 and 2015. The projects and programmes that make up Transport 21 aim to increase accessibility, ensure sustainability and expand capacity, as well as increase the use and enhance the quality of the service. In this context, it is important to consider some of those points. I refer in particular to the goals of increasing accessibility and ensuring sustainability. Undoubtedly, while Transport 21 did not consider specifically the issue of slot access to airports, particularly in respect of international hubs, it referred to investment in regional airports. It is important to consider these matters on foot of Aer Lingus's decisions to remove itself from the Shannon-Heathrow service.

When redefining its priorities, the Government must take cognisance of this issue and work towards dealing with it. Access to key markets is vital and a major crisis has arisen in the Shannon and mid-west region as a result of Aer Lingus's decision to withdraw its service. I spoke in the House on the issue previously. Several different reports have been considered and much of the reasoning behind this decision has been examined. While it is clear the Government was limited in what it could do, this does not mean that a policy should not be set out to resolve the issue in the context of Transport 21. I do not wish to be overly parochial and such a policy should not simply deal with Shannon. Issues have been raised regarding the use of slots in an international way, particularly as it would relate to Cork and Dublin. A policy framework should be developed. It might entail challenging the manner in which slots are managed from the perspective of European competition as there is much debate in Europe on this subject. Alternatively, it could focus on attempts by the Government to find another way to ensure direct connectivity to such centres, which are vital to sustainability and capacity expansion.

I argue this should pertain to retaining capacity and trying to hold on to existing accessibility rather than increasing it. This is a clear reason for the necessity of Members to reflect. An air link from Shannon to Heathrow is just as important as a bridge over, or a tunnel under, the River Shannon. From this perspective, the Government must find a solution and it will not be acceptable to state that this issue is outside its control or that this is a decision of Aer Lingus. While it is clear that was the case, we must now build a policy framework that takes account of that decision and accepts the constraints as they are while clearly proposing a solution towards the slot access issue. In recent weeks, Members will have observed a great increase in the value of slots. In particular, the advent of the open skies policy and consequent access to many more destinations in the United States provides an avenue for airlines to spend greater amounts of money on the basis that they will be carrying a considerably greater number of passengers.

I will turn to a different subject. Overall, Transport 21 provides for investment in national roads, public transport and regional airports, involving a total expenditure of €34 billion. This is an enormous sum of money and an audit trail must be maintained in this regard. One of the main factors influencing the prioritisation of projects under Transport 21 was the national development plan and the need to support the Government's national spatial strategy. Considerable progress has been made in County Clare and the mid-west region, notwithstanding my earlier point. In particular, I welcome developments regarding the Ennis bypass. Obviously, more work must be carried out on some of the feeder routes to the Tulla road and into Clarecastle. The idea of providing direct connections to the Quin road should also be considered. This is of vital importance.

I welcome the manner in which Transport 21 sets about identifying the priorities in the spatial strategy. I refer to linking Limerick and Galway with a dual carriageway and bypassing Ennis and the various villages and towns along the way. Obviously this process is under way as the Gort to Crusheen bypass is at tender stage while the Gort to Oranmore section is at planning stage. In the long term, this will provide a foundation and basis for the improvement and development of the economic corridor that connects the two cities, which was clearly set out in the priorities of the spatial strategy.

The Minister also should consider the provision of funding for remedial works on local roads that have been affected during the construction stage of the major roads. I refer to routes in the Clare region such as Crusheen to Clooney and Knocknamanagh to Doora, where roads that had become rat-runs during the construction phase of these major roads are now in an extremely poor state. The local authorities do not have the funds to deal with this issue and special allocations should be made, whether through the NRA or some other body, to take cognisance of the damage done to such local roads during construction of the new primary routes.

I also urge the Minister to examine, particularly in County Clare, the N68, which connects Ennis to Kilrush, the N85, which connects Ennis to Enistymon, and other national secondary roads. I refer in particular to the coastal road, the N67. The aforementioned three sections of road require significant investment and it is unacceptable that the people of west Clare should be obliged to travel on sections of the N68 that are highly dangerous and are certainly inferior to what would be expected given the volume of road traffic. I seriously urge the Minister to deal with this matter. It may be easier to so do on foot of the legislation that is finding its way through the House on transferring responsibility for such roads from the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government to the Department of Transport. A more encompassing and holistic approach can be put forward by the Government in respect of funding the entire road network and infrastructure.

It is also important to provide funding rapidly for the Killaloe bypass and the Shannon bridge project, which is a huge priority for the east Clare area. I urge the Minister to make sure that adequate funding is made available as the project progresses through the planning stage. It will have a particular impact in terms of retaining factories such as Finsa and promoting tourism around Lough Derg, which is vitally important to the region. It is also important to sustain activity through the airport and ensure that people continue to live and work in a rural environment. For this reason investment in roads is very useful. We have also invested heavily in rail and bus services in the region. In particular, approximately €900,000 has been spent on the redesign of Ennis bus station, which opened in April. Those provisions contribute to the bus service in and around Ennis, which is extremely welcome.

I also recognise the achievement of the rural transport initiative under Transport 21. The initiative in Clare has been very successful and I welcome its continued funding by the Government. Clare Accessible Transport provides an excellent service to people in rural parts of County Clare and with continued funding it is now examining the possibility of widening the service to other parts of the county. This is important, particularly for elderly people in isolated areas who do not have their own transport. Frankly, it would not be feasible to put in place the type of public transport infrastructure that exists in our large towns and cities. Considering the relatively small amount of money that is spent on the rural transport initiative, it generates a very good return in terms of value for money and in providing services for the elderly, the young and people with disabilities. I welcome this development.

It would be wrong not to recognise the huge investment that will culminate in the reopening of the western rail corridor. Work on the first phase, the section from Ennis to Athenry, commenced in June and is due to be completed by December 2008. Rail services will operate between Limerick and Galway and a commuter service will be introduced from Athenry to Galway. Subsequent phases will see the line reopen as far as Claremorris. An important aspect of this is that Sixmilebridge Station, which is due to open as part of the project, will provide direct access to Shannon Airport via a feeder bus service. This will have a significant impact on the airport and the industrial base in the area. It is also important that the Minister consider the possibility of reopening Crusheen Station. In light of its central location and the county council's development policy, which aims to create a more developed residential zone, the reopening of Crusheen Station would benefit many people by allowing them to commute much more efficiently to Galway, Ennis or Limerick. I urge the Minister to consider this.

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