Roderic O'Gorman (Dublin West, Green Party) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Deputy for his long-standing invitation. With respect, it does sound like he is complaining about the allocation of money to cyclists. We do not need to be setting one off against the other. We did not invest in cycling infrastructure in this country for a long time. Plenty of the cyclists who are now benefitting from schemes, some of them urban and others rural, are cycling to work. Some of them are tourists who are creating employment for many of the Deputy's constituents. Many of the people who are availing of the extra public transport services around his constituency are going to work. People go to work in a variety of ways. Many people do not have cars and public transport is their only access to work.

The Deputy is absolutely right that cars are necessary for many people. That is why the Government, as well as increasing the investment in major public transport projects and putting in place new services, continues to invest in new road infrastructure and upgrading existing roads. From the information I have, there has not been a €200 million cut. I will pass the points the Deputy has made on to the Minister, Deputy Eamon Ryan.

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