Jim O'Callaghan (Dublin Bay South, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I agree with the Minister that we need to move away from designing transport projects by press release. Unfortunately, because of leaked information published in a newspaper today and yesterday, we seem to be designing transport projects by press leak. There is a legitimate public interest in the public being told if the information published in a newspaper today was correct or not. Obviously, the Minister knows much more than he is telling this House. It may be that he cannot tell the House but he can give us an indication as to whether he is prepared to stand up to the NTA if it persists with its proposal to dig up the Luas green line.

I also believe the Minister, Deputy Ross, needs to question his civil servants more and he needs to question the statutory bodies that report into him. The Minister is renowned as a person who can stand up and express his own opinion. I ask that he expresses his own views in respect of the fact that the south west of this city is not served by any rail infrastructure. There is an increasing division in Dublin between east and west. The east side has the Luas and the DART while the south west side, areas of which are represented by Deputy Lahart, is not served by any rail infrastructure and it needs to be.

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