Fergus O'Dowd (Louth, Fine Gael)

I apologise for being late but I was studying my notes for the first priority question. As a former teacher, the Minister will understand that sometimes one can spend too much time on research.

Sustainable transport means sustainable living and while the weaknesses in the report are the failure to set deadlines and make provision for funding, a radical plan is needed using joined up thinking to link the planning process with transport and job creation policies. Proper land use and transport strategy planning is needed and, in their absence, we will never get it right. The problem up to now was during the Celtic tiger boom, houses were built everywhere but appropriate transport plans were not devised.

The planning system should be radically reformed. For example, the Minister should insist on the development of housing, even if that means it is high density and proper quality environmental build; on the greenfield and brownfield sites inside the metro west corridor; and where people work should also be taken into consideration. In the absence of a co-ordinated plan between the local authority and the Departments of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government and Transport, the Minister's policy will not work.

The projections of the Central Statistics Office highlight a massive population increase in counties Meath, Kildare, Wicklow and Louth. If an additional 200,000 are living in the region by 2020, the policy does not make sense, given the demand that will place on infrastructure. Does the Minister agree joined up thinking is needed to produce a radical plan, which this is not? If one does not have joined up thinking, one will not have sustainable transport.

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