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

I do not disagree with the Deputy. We have to have really good quality public transport bus stations and Parnell Place bus station clearly does not meet that criterion. That is recognised by the fact that a detailed design and assessment has been done, an estimate of the cost and a due scheduled investment so that the works start the year after next. I would prefer them to start next year. However, no one could argue that this Government has not been investing in public transport. There has never before been anything like this in terms of taking a lot of political hits to deliberately say we are going to invest twice as much in public transport as in roads. A lot of people do not agree with that because, understandably, they want new roads but we did that and put it into the programme for Government on the basis that there had been underinvestment in public transport.

That state of Parnell Place bus station is because of decades of underinvestment and that is changing. I am very confident the money will be provided, and that would be in the budget cycle of the next Government. I see that coming because I cannot believe there would be a political party that would not support an ongoing allocation of funding prioritising public transport for a variety reasons, one of the first being that it is socially just because it benefits everyone when you make that investment. I absolutely agree; we need to upgrade Parnell Place bus station. The plans are there, the funding will be there and it should be done.

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