Mattie McGrath (Tipperary, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I, too, am happy to speak on this motion tonight.

I note that the motion recognises that transport and travel needs within the greater Dublin area are unsustainable - we heard that a long time ago - and that "congestion is increasing, transport emissions are growing, economic competitiveness is suffering and quality of life for commuters and inhabitants is declining". I had to look at the motion twice to ensure they were not talking about rural Ireland. I note it also states "the capacity of the Dublin region as a destination for living, visiting and for locating and doing business is being seriously undermined", and "that significant actions are required to increase capacity and usability of public transport". While I am completely supportive of the needs of the Dublin population and have no desire to engage in a game of rural versus urban Ireland, I have serious concerns about the overall thrust of this motion and will not be supporting it. My fear is that we will end up compounding an already disproportionate focus on the capital. We need a National Transport Authority that takes into account the dire needs of the regions to develop better transport infrastructure. If we want to get another authority or, as I call such a body, a quango which prioritises Dublin, which so many already do in a de facto manner, then where will we be in ten years' time? It is like a monster gobbling up all before it. I simply do not believe that the capital and the transport infrastructure associated with it are in need of superior levels of support. They have got all the support. They have got all the investment including everything from the DART to the Luas, the buses and whatever.

We need to develop the regions. We need to stop the swallowing up of rural Ireland and the draining away of industry and employment from the regions. I met the head man of the IDA in Washington on the eve of St. Patrick's Day and he told me that not only do companies coming to Ireland not want to go to Tipperary where we want jobs, they will not even go to Galway, Limerick or Waterford. Everything is about Dublin and successive Governments have created that. I certainly am not supporting the motion. I am not begrudging anything that they have here, but I cannot walk home to night but I will be hounded by taxis to hop in. If I ordered a taxi in Tipperary, I would not get one tonight - not a hope. I would not get one in the towns. Maybe one would get one at the weekends. One will not get a taxi. It is totally unfair and totally imbalanced.

Quality of life, quite frankly, is not good in Dublin because of the pressure, the traffic, the emissions and everything else. I honestly believe we need to achieve some progress. There are too many authorities. One would know Dublin Port authority, by its name, is there for years. It is quango-land and they all are compounded in the public service commission, below where the Luas line is, where they control every appointment to every board, every club and nearly every dog race. They want to keep control of it. That is the way it is. That is the way many officials in the Department are too.

I welcome the fact that the Minister's first visit outside of Dublin when he was appointed was to Tipperary.

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