Paschal Donohoe (Dublin Central, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I am making clear in all the engagement I have with other Government Departments that a vital consideration in any decisions we make is the contribution that public investment can make towards delivering our climate objectives. I have referred to this in the criteria that have been published to other Departments that indicate the way in which we will evaluate their proposals, and I continue to make this point in Cabinet sub-committees and Cabinet itself. This will be a very important element in decisions we make and is one of the reasons I believe investment in public transport, for example, is so important. Unless we provide fast, high-capacity public transport investment, the challenge the Deputy has described, with which I agree, will not be met by Ireland and our challenges will be even bigger. The kinds of considerations to which she refers form a very big part of how we will analyse any proposals to spend additional funding in the country in capital areas.

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