Damien English (Meath, Fine Gael)
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Question 6: To ask the Minister for Transport the work which has been undertaken or is planned by him and his officials to advance a rail connection from Navan to Dublin city centre, via Dunboyne; when this project will be operational; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [9714/05]

Martin Cullen (Waterford, Fianna Fail)
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Iarnród Éireann, in conjunction with Meath and Fingal County Councils, recently completed a feasibility study into the possibility of providing a spur off the Maynooth line at Clonsilla to Pace on the N3 beyond Dunboyne. The provision of a park and ride site at Pace to cater for Navan traffic has been included in the feasibility study.

It is now a matter for Iarnród Éireann, in the first instance, to consider the results of the study and to decide how it wishes to proceed. The views of Iarnród Éireann and the results of the feasibility study will be considered by my Department as part of its preparatory work on the proposed ten-year investment framework.

Damien English (Meath, Fine Gael)
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The Minister gave me the same answer a month ago. There is no progress.

Pat Breen (Clare, Fine Gael)
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It was before the election.

Damien English (Meath, Fine Gael)
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The following day the Minister came to Navan where he was able to speak about the Navan rail link in more detail. He confirmed it would be provided. The Minister's party candidate in the by-election confirmed in his election material that the rail link had been secured for Dunboyne.

Ivor Callely (Dublin North Central, Fianna Fail)
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He is a great guy; he was pushing hard.

Damien English (Meath, Fine Gael)
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He would be embarrassed if he were present today to hear that reply. Iarnród Éireann has stated that it is happy to build the line. However, two things are required. It is seeking a commitment of funding. Can the Department ring-fence funding to deliver this rail link? I accept that it is affected by what happens in Dublin but the Navan to Dunboyne link should be built at the same time the work is being done in Dublin rather that one waiting until the other is completed, which is crazy. That is a decision for the Minister through the allocation of funding.

Second, the Minister was most encouraging a month ago with regard to providing the money to complete the second part of the feasibility study on building a link from Dunboyne to Navan. He agreed with me that it would be sensible to have it ready. We should consider doing it.

When I asked the Taoiseach about this matter he said he saw merit in the rail link being built parallel with the M3 motorway. He also agreed that it had not been considered. I am sure it was not considered because nobody can confirm that it was. Will the Minister examine this? Is it possible to construct the rail link in line with the motorway given that land is being compulsorily purchased for the road? Other countries do it so why not this country? It is a shame it has not been considered. It would save a great deal of money for the Exchequer.

Rory O'Hanlon (Cavan-Monaghan, Ceann Comhairle)
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The Deputy should ask a question.

Damien English (Meath, Fine Gael)
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It is a question. Please give us the money. It would be worthwhile doing this now before the process goes further.

When will a decision be made about the Spencer Dock development? That has a major effect on the rail link to Dunboyne and Navan. I hope when this question is asked again in a month that there will have been progress.

Pat Breen (Clare, Fine Gael)
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Ask the Minister of State. He will have an answer.

Damien English (Meath, Fine Gael)
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At least I get letters from him.

Martin Cullen (Waterford, Fianna Fail)
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We are ad idem on most of this. Clearly, the indications are, although I have not seen the final decision, that the Dunboyne spur is sensible. I did not make my remarks last month simply because the by-election was taking place. It also seems obvious that if one is to manage the strategy of housing density and the facilities that go with it, public transport must be an essential element. In Navan, I highlighted the experience of Midleton, where they planned the land use strategically to make a rail link inevitable. The same thing applies to the extended spur to Navan. It is a logical extension of what should be there. I have urged the county council to start working on those plans now. I will not take this Dunboyne project on its own. There is a range of very interesting projects in Dublin, the suburbs, the commuter belt and inter-city. We are getting near completion on the overall picture.

Damien English (Meath, Fine Gael)
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Can the Minister lead in providing money?

Rory O'Hanlon (Cavan-Monaghan, Ceann Comhairle)
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I call on Deputy Ryan. If there is time left, I will call Deputy English.

Eamon Ryan (Dublin South, Green Party)
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Does the Minister think the feasibility rule may be affected by the nature of the road connections to Navan? With regard to the ten year framework, of which this is one example, does the Department of Finance give the Minister an indicative budget for ten years time? Does the Minister for Transport then allocate resources accordingly? How does he decide between different projects? Are there any projects that fall outside the scope because of the lack of possible funding?

Damien English (Meath, Fine Gael)
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The Minister said that he spoke to Meath County Council. However, his Department can lead on this. If the Minister puts up funding for the feasibility study, we will continue with it. He should not always have to go back to Iarnród Éireann as he is the one with the money.

Martin Cullen (Waterford, Fianna Fail)
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If local authorities are serious about public infrastructure, then they should have the money to fund a feasibility study.

Damien English (Meath, Fine Gael)
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The Minister might not realise how much a study costs.

Rory O'Hanlon (Cavan-Monaghan, Ceann Comhairle)
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The Deputy must let the Minister reply.

Damien English (Meath, Fine Gael)
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The Minister knows quite well that a study costs €1 million. The local authority is €9 million in debt because of his Government.

Rory O'Hanlon (Cavan-Monaghan, Ceann Comhairle)
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We need orderly questions as we must get through as many as possible.

Damien English (Meath, Fine Gael)
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We were quite willing to lead on this. We put the money up last year, but the Department did not.

Rory O'Hanlon (Cavan-Monaghan, Ceann Comhairle)
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I ask the Deputy to resume his seat.

Damien English (Meath, Fine Gael)
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I will if the Minister admits he was wrong. He knows the cost of a feasibility study is €1 million.

Rory O'Hanlon (Cavan-Monaghan, Ceann Comhairle)
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The Deputy cannot interrupt the Minister. He is entitled to make his reply and the Deputy is entitled to ask a question. I remind the Deputy that the purpose of question time is to elicit information from the Minister.

Damien English (Meath, Fine Gael)
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Correct information.

Rory O'Hanlon (Cavan-Monaghan, Ceann Comhairle)
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We have spent most of this question hearing information from the Deputy. The Minister should be afforded a chance to respond.

Damien English (Meath, Fine Gael)
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I want the correct information. I do not want the same answer.

Martin Cullen (Waterford, Fianna Fail)
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He must have sent Deputy McEntee off in the wrong direction today.

Pat Breen (Clare, Fine Gael)
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He went in the right direction.

Martin Cullen (Waterford, Fianna Fail)
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In answer to Deputy Ryan's question, it is clear the Department has a financial envelope for five years. It will now be a financial envelope for ten years. We are looking at the scale of projects from a financial and physical perspective. That is a great physical challenge for those in the construction industry, along with the different players such as Iarnród Éireann, the RPA, the NRA and the other stakeholders.

Eamon Ryan (Dublin South, Green Party)
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On a point of order, the Ceann Comhairle said that question time was about eliciting information. I asked the Minister if the road would take from the feasibility study of the rail, but I did not get an answer to that.

Rory O'Hanlon (Cavan-Monaghan, Ceann Comhairle)
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The Chair has no control over the Minister.

Martin Cullen (Waterford, Fianna Fail)
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I have not got my hands on any feasibility study, but I do not think it will take from a rail study. Given the volume of traffic, there is a need for both.