Fergus O'Dowd (Louth, Fine Gael)

The weakness in the Bill is that it does not relate to a national transport authority. All of the problems we encounter stem from the geographical area to be covered by the authority. The problem is of the Minister's making because the cities of Cork, Limerick, Waterford and Galway all have problems with transport, yet there is no joined-up thinking. I suggest the Minister needs a national transport authority. He would not then need to ask Louth County Council to move from region A to region B. A national transport authority would mean the county council could ensure proper planning and development in the county, something that will not happen under the Bill. The same goes for Cork, Limerick and Galway. Limiting the Bill in this way is a major weakness.

I welcome that section 54 allows for transport services from outside the DTA region to be designated as DTA transport services. It is important that the DTA has the power to fix the price of travel, particularly rail travel, as there are serious inequalities in this sector. When one leaves Balbriggan by rail, one enters an area with an entirely different fare structure. Under the Bill, lower fares will apply in respect of services to Balbriggan, Laytown and Gormanstown but not to places to the north. If the Minister designated transport services that originate in Dublin to County Louth, it would make a big difference to commuters who want a decent, proper equitable fare structure. There is no reason people should pay twice as much to get to Dublin from Drogheda and Laytown as they do from Balbriggan. It does not make sense.

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