Brendan Ryan (Dublin Fingal, Labour) | Oireachtas source

The first line of the motion is spot on. Transport and travel trends in the greater Dublin area are unsustainable. Congestion is increasing and the quality of life for commuters diminishing. One traffic incident on any of the main arteries into Dublin city or on the M50 can result in traffic chaos during rush hour.

The motion is all motherhood and apple pie in so far as it features a little bit of everything that is good - some metro north here, a DART underground there, cycleways, pedestrianisation, park-and-ride projects, the removal of bottlenecks and synchronisation of traffic lights. No one in the Chamber will disagree with any of these measures, all of which enjoy broad support, at least from representatives of the greater Dublin region.

While there is nothing in the motion with which one could disagree, the text hides some classic Fianna Fáil populism that needs to be interrogated a little. Fianna Fáil is positioning itself to be the Government after the next election. For this reason, all the wonderful aims it has set for transport need to match up and be compatible. There is some looseness in the motion regarding buses, however. It calls for an increase in the number of buses "either public or private". Does Fianna Fáil care whether bus services are public or private or does it simply want more buses? Does it seek further tendering of Dublin Bus routes as opposed to the current bare minimum of tendering to comply with European directives? Does it want bus workers to have fair remuneration, pensions and good terms and conditions of employment or does it want the opposite, which is a feature of privatisation?

We have all felt the effect of these Fianna Fáil three-card tricks in the past. It will argue it is in favour of increased and improved public transport, be it Bus Éireann or Dublin Bus, but then includes in a motion a vague, seemingly innocuous call for an increase in all kinds of buses. This call is made three sentences after an acknowledgement of a lack of vision and strategic plan. What is Fianna Fáil's strategic plan for buses? Is it committed to public bus transport, ensuring the subvention to Dublin Bus is increased and investment made in new buses and the provision of more routes and improved real time passenger information? Unfortunately, in the real world, increasing the frequency of both public and private bus services is not easily achieved and it is worth pointing out that increasing the number of private operators would have a definite negative impact on the sustainability of our public bus networks in Dublin. The Labour Party fought tooth and nail in government to protect our bus services from the worst excesses of the troika programme. Fianna Fail needs to pick a side because it cannot be everyone's friend on this issue. It seems the era of responsible opposition is over and the party is moving back towards its natural position of irresponsible government.

I take issue with the line which refers to a "lack of forward planning for the impact of the Luas Cross City, including the impact of its construction on city trade and mobility". I cannot see any other way the Luas cross-city project could be constructed without causing disruption as it is major infrastructure that cuts through the busiest part of the capital. I commend Luas cross-city on its communication with members of the public throughout the works. The Luas cross city communications office is open and doing a good job in providing a fixed point for any individual or body to interface with Transport Infrastructure Ireland on the project. The website for the project is also very informative and an excellent information campaign has been run on radio keeping us informed of progress and disruption. Let us give credit where it is due.

While Fianna Fáil has introduced a motion that features many laudable aspects, it is lapsing into a regrettable and familiar pattern of pandering to certain stakeholders' bias. In this case, the stakeholder is the chambers of commerce. Large infrastructure projects cannot but have an impact during the construction phase. However, the long-term benefits of this cross-city Luas project will be felt by commuters and traders alike for decades to come. I predict similar noises from city traders when construction work on metro north begins in a few years. This, too, is vital transport infrastructure and we must all be committed to its delivery.

It is complete and utter nonsense for a Fianna Fáil Deputy to suggest the previous Government could have proceeded with the original metro north plan given the state of the public finances when his party left government and given that a bailout programme was in place and the troika was in town. I congratulate my constituency colleague, Deputy Darragh O'Brien, on having the hardest neck in Irish politics.

The National Transport Authority and all other transport stakeholders are doing their best to improve transport in Dublin. Pinch points are being tackled, quality bus corridors continue to improve and traffic lights are being synchronised. I have more to say on this issue but as I am sharing time with my colleague, Deputy Joan Burton, I will conclude.

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