Michael Kennedy (Dublin North, Fianna Fail)

I welcome that the Bill addresses the requirement to consolidate all public transportation into one authority. Commuters in my area and throughout the greater Dublin region are under pressure. The authority will free our congested roads from the agencies charged with taking care of them, public transport and funding. The Bill will ensure the overhauling of these aspects.

The landscape of public transport in the greater Dublin area is changing with the advent of Transport 21, particularly in respect of metro north, DART extensions to Balbriggan and, hopefully, Drogheda in Deputy O'Dowd's constituency, more buses and additional park and ride facilities around the city and county. As desired by each Deputy, the authority will be empowered to deliver on each of these promises. Every Member would agree that streamlining the decision-making process is essential. No Deputy in the greater Dublin area has not been frustrated by the current system, with its multi-agency confusion and ensuing indecision. This mammoth Bill's most important aspect is the proposal to give decision-making powers to a single authority. No single agency or Department has the same level of power. The concentration of power and responsibility is vital for the effective and efficient running of the new authority and for the delivery of a reliable, integrated and efficient transport system for all citizens. Since some 1.6 million people live in the region and more than 800,000 vehicles traverse the city's roads per day, resolving the outstanding issues in public transport and gridlock has never been more important.

The Bill's aim is to establish an agency with the power to deliver a cost-effective, efficient and integrated system. To achieve this, it is necessary to empower the authority in an unprecedented way. The DTA must and will be responsible for all strategic public transportation planning. It must be the go-to agency on all planning matters. I welcome the requirement for ministerial approval of all strategic planning, ensuring a healthy level of Government consultation. Of prime importance is the plan to introduce a 12-20 year strategic plan for the greater Dublin area, including a six-year implementation plan to set out a pathway for the commencement of the larger strategy.

I welcome the authority's role as the main procurement agency for infrastructure not already under the remit of the Railway Procurement Agency, RPA. Other powers include responsibility for allocating capital for public transport initiatives, traffic management and the regulation of fares. Another important aspect of the Bill is the power given to the authority to seek standards in the delivery of services by the transport providers and the power to act against any agency should those standards not be met. Similarly, the DTA will have the power to intervene if an agency is not delivering on its public transportation project commitments. The DTA will be able to step in if transportation planning guidelines are not adhered to by local authorities. As a member of the Joint Committee on Transport, I look forward to debating this issue as we move to the next Stage.

The delivery and implementation of Transport 21 should and will be a priority for the new authority. Let us not underestimate the importance of Transport 21. A €34 billion project will deliver seven new Luas lines, more buses, DART extensions northwards and a new metro system, north and west. As a Deputy representing Dublin North, I am excited by the metro development. While I am aware that the delivery of metro north will remain under the remit of the RPA for continuity purposes, its operation should fall under the new authority's aegis once it has been completed. For now, metro north is included in Transport 21 and belongs to any debate pertaining to the DTA. For the first time, passengers will be able to get on a metro at St. Stephen's Green and travel to Dublin Airport in less than 20 minutes. Another few minutes would bring them to Swords in my area.

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