Paul Gogarty (Dublin Mid West, Independent)

To follow up on transport infrastructure, Mr. O'Driscoll mentioned, for example, the impact in terms of future jobs at Apple because of the road interlink and public transport links. It is a similar thing with Galway in terms of the ring road. As someone with a green background, I acknowledge the need for the ring road but obviously there is a need to put more investment into public transport alternatives in the first instance. This action plan is coming by 1 July, which means the Cabinet will be deciding, I hope by the recess, what the priorities are going to be for the next couple of years in respect of the task force. If multi-annual funding is not firmly on the table at that stage, we might as well say "Goodbye" to the whole thing and it will be, as Mr. O'Driscoll said, just another talking shop. I hope that, between the Minister, Deputy Chambers, the Taoiseach and the rest of Cabinet, multi-annual funding will be put firmly at the heart of this plan so we can get moving on what is required.

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