Robert Troy (Longford-Westmeath, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

While I may have said the figure I quoted related to 2010, it was in 2015 that Ireland recorded the lowest proportional capital spend in the EU. The Government is not being ambitious. When the European Commissioner for Transport, Ms Bulc, appeared before the Oireachtas committee she criticised the lack of engagement by the Government in seeking funding from the EU to make the necessary investment in infrastructure.

Someone stuck in the car coming in this morning, stuck in a crowded bus or having to stand on a train that is not on time, will not be too enamoured by the response the Minister has given me this morning. A six-minute dialogue and debate on this matter is not sufficient. In advance of the publication of the new capital plan, will the Minister secure sufficient time in this House to have a real debate on how we can access funding from the EU to ensure we make the investments needed in our public infrastructure today?

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