John Paul Phelan (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I apologise for arriving a little late and nearly missing my speaking slot.

I welcome the Minister and the Bill before us. Deputy Jim Daly has even lobbied me on the hackney licence tests. In fairness, his argument makes sense, especially in the case of County Cork which is such a large county. I urge the Minister, for my peace of mind, to address the issue.

The Bill is straightforward in the sense that it is largely technical in nature and, on my reading, makes common sense amendments to three or four existing Acts. Like Deputy Jim Daly, I propose to address two or three issues that affect my constituency. Public transport in the area between Kilkenny city and Waterford city is largely provided by taxis and hackneys. Significant investment has been made in the road infrastructure of the area.

6 o’clock

The M9, which is now one of the best routes in the country, replaced the N9, which was one of the worst national primary routes. Certainly, I commend that. However, there is an urgent need to connect other urban centres outside Dublin by means of public transport. The Minister has made a conscious effort in particular for rural towns in the Kilkenny, Carlow, Kildare areas where the bus service was due to be cut completely and where a new reformed service has been put in place. That is to be welcomed. However, in particular in my part of the world, there are huge connections across the route from Waterford to Limerick which national primary route remains perhaps one of the worst in the country. In fact, if one travels the length of it, most of the towns and villages, with the exceptions of Piltown in Kilkenny and Clonmel, are still on the original national primary network. It is probably the longest stretch of unimproved national primary road in the country. Significant bus services operate daily between Waterford and Limerick and investment in that road network is long overdue.

I want to use this opportunity to flag another issue. Perhaps, the Minister will be able to find an answer for me on the point. After much unforeseen delay, the New Ross bypass, with which Deputy Wallace will be familiar, is thankfully about to get under way in the early part of next year. The Waterford bypass was completed a number of years ago but as things stand, the four or five mile stretch between the New Ross bypass when it is completed and the Waterford bypass, all of which is in County Kilkenny, will remain a single carriageway road while the two bypasses will be dual-carriageways. It is a classic example. Deputy Alan Farrell mentioned earlier bad planning by the Victorians who did not connect the rail lines in Dublin. It will be a classic case of bad planning in this day and age if that small but highly trafficked stretch of road - the N25 national route between Rosslare and Cork is a European route - is not the subject of some provision to ensure the completed New Ross bypass is connected directly to the existing Waterford city bypass.

I note that the legislation amends the Taxi Regulation Act 2013 to create a new procedure for the handing over of taxi licences from licensees who have passed away, which I welcome. I heard the Minister on the radio yesterday talking about the DART. The DART underground project is hugely significant and obviously something we would all like to see developed. However, the Minister's logic as to why what is currently proposed needs to be revisited is sound in the sense that it is the potentially the biggest single infrastructure project in the country. The scale of funds involved is dramatic and if a better engineered solution, which was the phrase the Minister used, can be found that is more cost-effective, it is grounds for full support for the Minister's position.

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