Darragh O'Brien (Dublin North, Fianna Fail)

I am speaking as someone who has stepped outside his car and used trains since being elected to the House. This city has serious traffic problems. I am fortunate that my area has the DART service. People will use public transport if it is efficient and frequent. Bringing all of the agencies together under a single authority must allow them to work together on behalf of the public. Deputy Connaughton was correct in his reference to the significant population growth in counties Louth, Meath, Kildare, Dublin and Wicklow on the east coast. The number of cars on the road cannot continue to increase at the current rate. Work on the M50 is ongoing and has made a difference to the parts of the road I have been on. However, if one builds extra roads, cars will fill them. We must consider managing change in the public transport sector.

For the first 15 minutes of Deputy Connaughton's contribution he backed the Bill wholeheartedly, but he was more ambiguous during the last five minutes. He raised a concern discussed in our policy groups and at committees, namely, that we should not create an authority that operates at arm's length from the Department. It must be answerable to the Houses and the Minister for Transport and, from reading the Bill's details, I am satisfied that this will be the case. Members have often stated that certain agencies are not directly accountable to the House or do not take our opinions and those of our constituents into account. The DTA will be a positive step, as it is clear that the Minister will have overall responsibility and a mandate to direct the DTA in what it must do on a day-to-day basis. The position of the Railway Procurement Agency, RPA, was mentioned. The RPA will function as a separate entity under the DTA's remit and its procurement business will continue.

I welcome the opportunity to speak on important legislation crucial to the delivery of many aspects of Transport 21, which will further improve the transport network in the greater Dublin area. The passing of the Bill will see through a commitment in the programme for Government to ensure the prompt and efficient delivery of Transport 21 and other improvements to the capital's transportation systems. The delivery of Transport 21 must be co-ordinated by a central agency such as the DTA that reports and is answerable to the Minister for Transport.

In my constituency of Dublin North, Transport 21 will bring about a world class public transport infrastructure in the next five to six years. Metro north, which will run from St. Stephen's Green through the city to Dublin Airport, Swords and beyond towards Donabate, will improve the access for people in my constituency to the city centre and beyond. In this regard, the DTA will be important for my constituency. Transport 21 and metro north will provide a necessary rail link to the airport. It has been projected that, during the next five to six years, 30 million passengers will pass through the airport. Currently, 95% of all passengers through Dublin Airport access it by private car. This situation must change because the area's road network is being clogged.

The previous Government under former Taoiseach, Deputy Bertie Ahern, gave a firm commitment to deliver a high-speed metro connection to north County Dublin, including the major town of Swords. This transport plan was fully supported financially by the then Minister for Finance, the new Taoiseach. Metro north will have the annual capacity to carry millions of passengers into Dublin city centre and St. Stephen's Green in less than 25 minutes and will link with the Luas and mainline train networks through the interconnector at St. Stephen's Green.

It is many Deputies' opinion that Transport 21 is the single most ambitious and forward-thinking project undertaken by any European country in the past 50 years. The new transport network will improve the lives of thousands of constituents in Dublin North, Dublin city and the greater Dublin area, in particular by the delivery of metro west in west County Dublin. The Government gave this commitment to the people before the election when many Members of the Opposition stated that the Government would not deliver on Transport 21. This legislation advances that commitment a step further. Many of those who criticised Transport 21 were the same people who said, ten years ago, that the Luas system would either not be built or would not be operationally effective. Some 25 million Luas journeys are now made every year. The efficient and effective Luas service will be further improved under Transport 21 by linking both lines in the city centre. The success of the Luas is proof that when an efficient, effective and dependable public transport service is provided, people will leave their cars behind.

Other planned improvements under Transport 21 include the extension of the DART network to Balbriggan, serving Donabate, Rush, Lusk and Skerries. This enhanced rail service is vital to meet the needs of this growing area. The increase in the capacity of the northern rail line to four tracks will further increase the capacity and frequency of trains. While the Railway Procurement Agency will retain responsibility for the delivery of these projects and will remain a separate agency, the Dublin transport authority will work closely with it to ensure that both surface transport and rail-based transport are planned and delivered efficiently. In all cases, the Minister for Transport will retain overall responsibility and the Dublin transport authority will be directly answerable to him or her.

The Fingal area of Dublin will be transformed by the delivery of Transport 21. With the airport in Swords, the M1 motorway, the northern rail line and the upgraded M50, we are at the economic and development heart of the State. This has ensured full employment in my constituency. During the general election campaign, I gave a firm commitment to my constituents that I would do my best to ensure that the great improvements outlined in Transport 21 are delivered. I am confident that the establishment of the Dublin transport authority, working in conjunction with the Department of Transport, will ensure a speedy delivery of these commitments.

Last year saw the delivery of the first 100 additional buses for the Dublin area, as promised under Transport 21. We must continue to improve the bus network and to ensure it works in tandem with other transport agencies. The Dublin transport authority will be able to bring this about in an effective and cohesive manner. There must be further utilisation of the Dublin Port tunnel, which has proved extremely successful. Some bus routes are using the tunnel, which provides speedier access to the city centre from the Swords and Kinsealy areas. These types of services should be further expanded.

In this regard, I draw the Minister of State's attention to several anomalies that have arisen in the Swords and Lucan areas where particular Dublin Bus services have been excluded from using the port tunnel because of competition considerations arising from the Road Transport Act 1932. I ask the Minister of State to consider whether the Dublin Transport Authority Bill can be used to amend the 1932 Act to make it more relevant to a modern public transport system. The current difficulties with the 41X bus route in Swords have arisen as a consequence of that legislation. There is no reason that this service should be prevented from continuing to use the port tunnel. I intend to table amendments to the Bill to deal with this anomaly. In the meantime, I ask the Minister to look favourably on the revised application by Dublin Bus in respect of the 41X service so that it can once again use the port tunnel to access the city centre. The Department should grant the revised licence without further delay.

I compliment the local authority in my area, Fingal County Council, on the work done in recent years by the county manager, Mr. David O'Connor, and the director of services for transportation, Mr. Mick Lorrigan, to secure improvements for my constituents as part of Transport 21. I am pleased that the Bill provides that the Dublin transport authority will work closely with local authorities, whose members have vast local experience and are eager to assist. The Dublin transport authority will have a crucially important role in the delivery of the Dublin aspects of Transport 21. While I welcome its establishment, I intend to monitor its work closely to ensure that a cohesive and integrated public transport system is developed in the next five to ten years in line with the Government's commitments.

Much of that work is already under way. The second terminal at Dublin Airport will soon be constructed. The upgrading of the M50 motorway is well under way and improvements can already be seen. There are hundreds of additional buses on our streets and new rail carriages are in use. The port tunnel is an important infrastructural element in the city's transport system. Further improvements will be seen in the coming months, such as the commitment given to me by Iarnród Éireann that all mainline trains on the northern line serving the city centre at peak times will, by the end of the year, have eight carriages and that the same will apply to all DART trains by the end of September. While we await the establishment of the Dublin transport authority, there are many steps that can be taken now to improve the daily lives of commuters.

Another important aspect of the Dublin transport authority's responsibilities will be to ensure that county development plans take full consideration of public transport needs in all new developments. The authority will have a formal role in the drawing up of county development plans. Many local authorities, including Fingal County Council, have shown themselves to be progressive in this regard, but it is important that the Dublin transport authority has a formal role. Public transport services are improving in general but there are many areas in which further improvement is required and many actions that can be taken relatively speedily, such as the delivery of park and ride facilities for buses pending the introduction of the metro. The public must be put first in all our considerations. We must cut through the red tape and introduce amendments to archaic legislation that is not serving the public good.

I welcome the provision in the Bill that the Minister for Transport will retain overall responsibility for setting transport policy in the Dublin area and determining the direction of transport policy investment in line with Transport 21. The Minister will have responsibility to approve the Dublin transport authority's transport strategy and will be able to give it mandatory policy directions with which it must comply. The authority will be accountable to the Dáil and the Minister for Transport. I look forward to its establishment and to the continued implementation of Transport 21 in line with Government commitments.

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