Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal East, Fianna Fail)

To ensure balanced regional development, the national planning framework will guide that and the NDP itself. As for the commitments we have made in the programme for Government, the two parties and the Independents came together to ensure and commit to a balanced regional development and we will ensure that it happens. This morning, I met the incoming new chief executive of Iarnród Éireann at Heuston Station. That was on the occasion of our announcement of the companion pass for the over-70s that means over 500,000 additional people will be able to avail of free transport when accompanying the over-70s. We introduced the five-to-eight-year-old free travel card across all our networks. We want more and more people to use our public transport. That is happening but we must make sure we have more capacity. That is not just capacity in the lines themselves, it is in the carriages. We have secured the first phase of the new carriages, which were purchased by the last Government. They will be initially rolled out on the northern line and then all the way across the country. That will add to the rolling stock we have. The passing loop will happen. The Minister of State, Deputy Canney, gave the Deputy a very detailed response in our last oral questions here on transport about matters specifically in the Deputy's constituency. During the coming weeks, we will publish the transport sectoral plan

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