Brendan Howlin (Wexford, Labour) | Oireachtas source

We have returned to the usual heavy traffic congestion following last week's mid-term break. Dublin has been ranked the third worst city in the world, in of a survey of 200 cities, when it comes to the time normal people spend in traffic. Dublin commuters lose an average of nearly five hours every week sitting in traffic jams. There is a pressing need for a grand plan for public transport, not least to address the issue of lowering our carbon emissions. The public accepts this.

In my judgment it demands a better public transport system, but what I am hearing is a great deal of public anxiety about the Government's two major transport projects, MetroLink and Bus Connects, on which it is spending €5 billion. Can we have confidence in the Government's ability to deliver on these projects following the 100% overrun to date on the national children's hospital? Is the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform closely monitoring these projects?

One hundred and twenty-three years ago, Glasgow opened its first subway. We are still talking about building Dublin's first metro line. Originally, we had the Dublin north plan from Fingal to the city centre, but then we had the economic crash. We then had MetroLink to link the metro with the existing green Luas line. What has happened now, because that last project seems to have been scrapped? Will the Taoiseach give the House, the people of Dublin and the nation clarity on that matter? The proposed metro line will not solve congestion problems for many Dubliners, which is where Bus Connects comes in to rethink the entire bus system. However, the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport, Deputy Ross, seems to have distanced himself from Bus Connects and handed over power to unelected officials. From many reports I am getting, those leading the public consultations seem to be involved in box ticking without real concern for the anxieties of the people. I am told that at a public meeting yesterday, the Fine Gael Deputy, Colm Brophy, said that he had a lack of confidence in Bus Connects. I understand the Minister of State at the Department of Health, Deputy Catherine Byrne, called the National Transport Authority dictators. There seems to be more focus on the electoral prospects of Fine Gael Deputies than on providing the vision of a high-quality public transport system. Will the Government provide for a full and complete debate in this House to test fully its vision for Dublin's future transport system? Will the Taoiseach give the House a guarantee that the Government's plan has been future-proofed to meet the transport needs of a city that we expect to expand greatly in the coming decade, which is to be accommodated with a world-class transport system?

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