Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)

I concur with the Deputy's comments. We must wait to see if we get a rail order, which will have conditions attached. Only then can this go to tender. With regard to the capital investment plan, we only have funds to start construction from 2015, and it is hoped the project will be running by 2017. If a funding mechanism can be provided to bring forward the commencement of works to next year, for example, I would be very enthusiastic about it. We all agree that it would be preferable to have the works on O'Connell Street completed by Easter 2016 rather than being ongoing at that time.

I would like to see more capital projects going ahead but they cannot, as people will know, because of the current financial position. The IMF and EU may have taken the view that we should not have cut capital as hard as we did but their view is that we should have hit current spending harder. That spending includes public sector pay and social welfare, so I am not sure if the view would be shared by the Deputy opposite.

It is interesting that Sinn Féin's stimulus plan, which was published before Christmas, had a proposed €7 billion investment in the economy, most of it borrowed from the European Investment Bank, but not a euro going to transport. I am not sure if Deputy Ellis lost the battle at the Sinn Féin front bench but it was interesting nonetheless.

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