Eamon Ryan (Dublin Bay South, Green Party) | Oireachtas source

First, regarding the metro, I have to be careful. I do not intervene directly in the planning system or try to change planning conditions, which some people were looking for me to do when it came to Dublin Airport. They were saying to ignore An Bord Pleanála and thrash its conditions. We cannot do that. As Minister for Transport, I can say a decision will be made on the metro. It is going through the planning process at the moment. I expect a decision will be reached this year and that this or the next Government will make the investment decision next year. It will not be a ten-year wait time for the delivery of the metro. We should aim to see it being delivered in the early years of the next decade.

With regard to the pay DAA, or indeed any of the semi-State or other commercial companies under public ownership, the Government commissioned Donal de Buitléir to do a major review of executive pay and there is a real requirement on us in the State not to provide excessive pay limits or to have huge gaps between different agencies. We do not get directly involved. It is a matter for the DAA board in terms of its pension arrangements but it fits within the overall ambit of Government pay, which makes sure we can get the right people but do not pay excessively.

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