Duncan Smith (Dublin Fingal, Labour) | Oireachtas source

I am encouraged by the Minister's reply. We have spoken about this outside the Chamber as well. The Minister is consistent in his view on this both behind the scenes and in this House which is very encouraging.

The town of Swords, which will benefit from MetroLink, is an example of an area where we can improve active travel, to which the Minister referred in earlier answers. We can improve the cycling infrastructure in order to be able to get people from the west side of Swords to where the MetroLink stations will be located without them having to use their cars. We need to improve walking routes and disability access as well. If and when this is delivered, and I am an optimist on MetroLink, we must make sure that people will not have to get into their cars to travel from one side of Swords to the other. They should be able to travel quickly, efficiently and in an environmentally friendly way to the metro to go to college or into town. This will benefit all of Fingal, particularly those living in the rural villages and rural areas who will be able to get to Swords relatively quickly and then on into Dublin city. It is not just a service for Swords or the airport; it is infrastructure that will benefit the whole of north County Dublin. It is something I will be bringing up on an annoyingly regular basis in this Chamber during these questions and I hope we can continue to see progress on it.

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