John Lahart (Dublin South West, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I made the point that we can do both. The Minister mentioned leadership, which is why I raised this issue with him today. I would like him to write to South Dublin County Council to initiate a task force involving not only the council and the NTA, but also local community stakeholders, such as schools and businesses. These roads are not half as congested when schools are not open. We need a conversation locally about how we can all work together with all the stakeholders and the leadership of the local authority and the NTA, which has shown scant regard for getting involved. It was a long and detailed afternoon drive that I engaged in a number of years ago. I am glad the Minister abandoned the official reply about the M50 and addressed the issue specifically. This is extremely stressful for commuters, parents bringing their children to school and everybody along that route. As the Minister said and as I pointed out, unlike other routes, there is scope for significant improvement.

Where does the leadership come from? I am trying to take a lead. While the Minister said he does not have a role, I urge him to write to the CEO of South Dublin County Council to invite him to set up a task force locally involving all of the stakeholders and representatives of residents' associations, community groups, boards of management of schools and local businesses to get all of their ideas. I do not have all of the answers to this, nor does the council. It needs to hear what the reality is on the ground and what might be workable, and then it is up to us, as politicians, to look for funding for the solutions that it may come up with. Plenty of solutions are available on the ground to ensure the quality of life that people experience in these areas continues to be improved. The key piece is leadership. I am trying to lead by raising it today. I ask the Minister to use his role with the county council and the NTA.

See this speech in context