Catherine Murphy (Kildare North, Social Democrats) | Oireachtas source

I acknowledge much of what has been done, some of which was proposed in the early 1990s, including some of the projects the Taoiseach identified. The best way to inhibit a recovery is not to invest in it. There is no doubt that huge amounts of land are being zoned on the periphery of Dublin that is only going to add to the congestion unless the Government in parallel provides and plans for the growth, including public transport.

I was told at a Committee of Public Accounts meeting that climate fines are likely to be up to €600 million per year from 2021. Where is the spend now and save later approach if no order has been made for the purchase of new carriages and trains when it is perfectly obvious that there is a problem with capacity, in particular at peak times? If public transport is to function it must have capacity.

The Taoiseach did not reply to my question on the DART underground. Is that on or off the table at this stage? At what point will the Government invest in the carriages? When will the order be made? Is the Minister active on the issue? I did not hear him say very much about it.

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