Noel Dempsey (Meath West, Fianna Fail)

That is precisely what I asked the NRA to do, and I asked it to come back to me with proposals for service areas along these routes that would not cost the Exchequer anything. I agree with the Deputy that the private sector should be in a position to do this, although the NRA has informed me that part of the reason service areas were not provided for initially was that it thought the private sector would come in to provide them. When it was discovered it was not doing that, the policy was changed in 2005. While we are now in the financial situation we are in, I have no problem with the Deputy's suggestion that the private sector should provide these service areas and I have asked the NRA to come back with proposals that would allow the private sector to do so.

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