James Bannon (Longford-Westmeath, Fine Gael)

I will wind up now. The proposed new licensing system states that Dublin Bus, Bus Éireann and Irish Rail are not subject to the new system as they come under the direct award contract. The Bill also allows the new national transport authority to renew contracts under direct award without being subject to the tendering process. This is unfair and no matter where one goes in Europe, one sees better public transport systems than in Ireland. Some of the eastern European countries that joined the EU in recent times, such as Slovakia and Slovenia, have better links with towns and villages than Ireland. We could take a leaf out of their book if we travelled to these countries, examined the fine transport infrastructure and adopted it in Ireland. We should try to get a better system of transport running up and down this country. Any industry that seeks to set up business in this country will note that this is absent.

We have very poor transport infrastructure and I do not see any great hope for improvement under Fianna Fáil or the Green Party. Since coming into office, the Green Party has provided cycle lanes and filled the pot holes in the cycle lanes, but no major transport infrastructure is being developed under its watch.

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