Tommy Broughan (Dublin North East, Labour)

In the few minutes remaining to us before this debate is guillotined, it is appropriate that we are focusing on what is probably the key problem with the Bill as it stands. Amendment No. 14 in the name of the Minister does not resolve the problem in question, which is the lack of responsibility to this House. The Labour Party, with Fine Gael, helped to establish the previous Dublin transport authority over 20 years ago. I was hoping to be in a position to express the support of my party for the new authority, but I cannot do so because the legislation establishing it does not provide for enough accountability and democracy. I would be interested to know how soon the Minister expects to be in a position to appoint the chief executive and the board of the authority. When will it be up and running? That is the big question the transport workers asked me when I met them last night.

Will we face the same kind of nonsense in our dealings with the Dublin transport authority that we have to endure when dealing with the National Roads Authority and other bodies? The Health Service Executive is the best example of a body that is cited as an obstacle when we want the Minister to give us information. I do not refer to operational information or information about individual cases, but about certain aspects of major policies. The Ceann Comhairle rules that we are out of order when we challenge Ministers on their failures to give us such information. We have had a dismal and unacceptable experience with the HSE and the NRA in the past four or five years. Deputy O'Dowd's amendment seeks to ensure that the Oireachtas committee will be able to make some input into the major strategic transport plan which will affect the future of a whole generation of people in the greater Dublin region, the east Leinster region and the whole of the country. The amendment adds to the Minister's amendment, which I welcome as a little step forward in involving the joint committee in these matters.

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