Patrick Nulty (Dublin West, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I am very pleased to have an opportunity to comment on the Bill. When it was published at the start of the year the Minister, Deputy Varadkar, spoke about the Bill in glowing terms. He said the merger of the NRA and the RPA would create a new streamlined organisation which would be a leader in planning, delivery and management of transport infrastructure in Ireland, demonstrating the best and most efficient use of scarce public resources. He talked about the restructuring providing a new institutional framework in the transport sector in the context of a reduced capital investment programme. It is reasonable for Members discussing the merits of the Bill to put that assertion to the test and to put the Bill in the context of the overall transport policy being pursued by the Government. That is what my contribution will do. I do not think we can look at any Bill that deals with roads and rail without looking at the overall macro strategy for transport. A number of issues come into that framework.

A number of speakers referred to getting rid of quangos and the undermining of them. It is worth examining the quangos that have been removed since the start of the crisis in this country in 2008. The previous Government abolished the Combat Poverty Agency and the Equality Authority has been undermined. Important bodies that were established by previous Governments have been abolished. Simply calling for the abolition of quangos - as they are so derisively referred to – as a good idea is an ideological position rather than examining each body on a case by case basis. I accept one could make a case for rationalisation in certain cases, but only if it will improve service to the citizen and increase people’s quality of life.

In the debate about rail, road and the development of public transport across the country and in Dublin city, I remind the House that prior to the general election in February 2011 the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport, Deputy Varadkar, delivered a leaflet to every resident in the River Valley area of Swords stating clearly that the Fine Gael Party was absolutely committed to the delivery of metro north and that it would be delivered if one voted Fine Gael. One of the first decisions taken in the first 12 months in government was to suspend metro north. That is a fact. The Minister is welcome to come to the House and contradict what I say. It is a bit like the letter the Minister for Health, Deputy Reilly, delivered to the people of Roscommon when he said vote Fine Gael and we will protect your accident and emergency service. That proved to be incorrect. The description is due to my use of polite language. Poor Deputy Naughten had to resign from his parliamentary party in order to honour that pledge. People were hoodwinked.

North and west Dublin have not received the same degree of investment in public transport infrastructure as other parts of the city. The local development plan for the Fingal County Council area is based on the delivery not only of metro north but also in the long term of metro west. I could take the Minister of State, Deputy Kelly, through the list of where the stops were intended to be located.

It is also worth noting land within the development plan was rezoned for residential development based on the delivery of metro north in particular. Very serious questions must be asked about the legitimacy of the Government's transport strategy, as a clear commitment was given to people metro north would be delivered. There has been no apology from the Government for this misleading information. As the Minister, Deputy Rabbitte, stated on RTE television, "is this not what one says during an election?"

Road tolls are pseudo-privatisation of the road infrastructure. Increasing tolls is a stealth tax. Any charge which does not take account of people's income is regressive. It is like an increase in VAT and the introduction of water charges and the household charge. The best, most efficient and fairest way to fund public services is through progressive taxation based on people's wealth and income and not through the introduction of charges and the commodification of the use of services.

It is not only cars which use roads as we also have a bus network. Several aspects of public policy on buses are very striking. We have seen draconian and dramatic increases in bus fares since the Government took office. When Fine Gael and the Labour Party took office the average bus fare for the shortest commute in the Dublin area, which is often used by pensioners, those carrying shopping and people with disabilities, was €1.20. It is now €1.80 which is a 50% increase. Fares for between four and seven stages have seen a 42% increase and fares for between seven and 13 stages have been increased by 40%. Fares for more than 13 stages have been increased by 33%. For a school child, bus fares have increased by 38% under the Labour Party and Fine Gael with a 33% increase for travelling between one and seven stages. Under the Government it has become more expensive to use the bus. If we want an integrated transport system we should encourage people to use public transport. All of the international evidence shows people on middle and lower incomes, pensioners, young people and people with disabilities use public transport more, but their charges have been increased.

We have also seen an attack on Dublin Bus and an attempt to demonise it. Several years ago Deloitte conducted an efficiency review of the bus network and examined subvention by the State to the public bus network in a number of European capital cities. In Brussels the subvention was 68% of total revenue; in Amsterdam it was 62% of total revenue; across the water in London it was 39%; but in Dublin it was only 29%. These figures are indicative of a commitment for many years, under Fianna Fáil, the Progressive Democrats and continued by Fine Gael and the Labour Party, to undermine public transport. We are seeing an attempt to turn a public service into a for-profit service alone.

In my constituency of Dublin West a number of bus routes will be put out to competitive tender. In my view this will undermine the public service provisions of the bus network. Will the workers of private companies which tender for these routes have the same level of pay and conditions as those in Dublin Bus or will the companies be allowed to undermine Dublin Bus? We know this happened in refuse collection. Local authorities were bullied out of the market because private sector operators could tender for the service. The Government can state the public sector and local authorities could have tendered for it, but the overheads of the private companies were less.

The Bill must be seen in the context of a transport policy which is about the private sector being good and the public sector being bad. This would be a disaster in the long term for Dubliners and the country. On this basis unless there is serious change and reform of transport policy I will not be able to support the Bill. The local elections are in May. In the previous local elections Labour Party councillors were elected on the basis of a bus fare freeze in Dublin and opposition to water charges. These have been abandoned by the Government. This is why I raise serious questions about the Bill. I invite the Minister of State, Deputy Kelly, and the Minister, Deputy Varadkar, to address the issue of metro north, in particular the dodgy leaflet put out by the Minister. He should come here to explain his position.

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