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

I urge the Deputy to wait until the plan is published before he makes his mind up on the nature of investment contained therein. I have said on a number of occasions that I recognise the value of public transport. However, I also must recognise that there are multiple reasons for going ahead with road projects. Much as I would like it to be, public transport cannot be the answer to connectivity for all parts of our country. We have certain road links that need to be safer and of a better quality than they are at present. If I do not respond to that need, I run the risk of creating other difficulties in the future.

If the Deputy looks at the four-year capital allocations the Government has just published, he will see that the Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport received more than €1 billion extra. The Department is prioritising and focusing on many projects, including public transport. In the recent budget, an additional €200 million in capital funding was allocated to the Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment for the period up to 2021. This has allowed for a step change in efforts to achieve Ireland's energy efficiency targets and renewable energy objectives in the context of moving towards a low-carbon environment.

As I have said on a number of occasions, an objective of the plan that is being drafted at present to ascertain what progress we can make from a planning and capital point of view towards genuine sustainability.

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