Aengus Ó Snodaigh (Dublin South Central, Sinn Fein)

There is a logic to Deputy O'Dowd's amendment, given the substantial growth that has taken place in the area of south Louth in particular. I do not think the people of south Louth would be too concerned about coming under the umbrella of Dublin, but if need be we could change the title to the Greater Dublin Transport Authority Bill. Given the major growth in that area, of which the Minister is aware, and the growth in commuter traffic, particularly from Drogheda but also from places such as Dundalk, the amendment is logical. Why wait until such time as the Minister is required to designate areas, as he is entitled to do when this Bill is passed? Why not do it now? At the very least we should be looking at south Louth, but there are other major commuter areas. Any decision that changes transport arrangements in Dublin will affect a number of neighbouring counties, or parts of them. We should make sure these counties are not an afterthought. If we go along with this, Louth will become an afterthought for the Dublin transport authority. In fact, the infrastructure in Louth serves Dublin in many ways. We are not talking about small boreens and the like but about main thoroughfares. This is about infrastructure and planning of transport for the future.

We have waited a long time for this Bill and there is agreement that it is needed. However, it is interesting that there seems to be cross-party support for widening its remit slightly, perhaps to reflect what used to be the Pale. We still seem to have the Pale surrounding Dublin, albeit in a different context. If we draw a semicircle on the map extending 50 miles from the centre of Dublin, with Dundalk at the top, this represents the commuter belt, which has been identified by various Government strategies over the years as containing the major commuter hubs of Dublin. They are the areas that should be included in the remit of a transport authority that is trying to address the transport needs of a growing city.

I support Deputy Broughan's amendment as it covers the whole of Louth and not just as far as Drogheda, given that the M1 now serves areas from Dundalk southwards. We may in future consider extending the remit of the transport authority as far as Portlaoise or Carlow, but those arguments have not been made. The argument is being made that one of the biggest commuter belts, which extends from north Dublin as far as north Louth, be included in the area covered by the DTA. I hope the Minister will give consideration to accepting the amendment at this late stage.

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