Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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36. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport his preferred options for the development and facilitation of the public and private transport sectors with particular reference to strategic investment in road and rail facilitates, the extent to which he expects targets to be met and if he will make a statement on the matter. [38859/16]

Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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This question seeks to encourage the maximisation of efforts between the public and private sectors to achieve an investment in public and private transport that will be sufficient to meet the challenges not only of today but of the future.

Shane Ross (Dublin Rathdown, Independent)
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I thank the Deputy for his question. The capital plan published in September 2015 outlined proposed transport investment priorities to 2022. The transport element of the plan was framed by the conclusions reached in my Department's strategic investment framework for land transport. This report highlighted the importance of maintenance and renewal of transport infrastructure together with targeted investments to address particular bottlenecks and critical safety issues. The capital plan provides €6 billion for investment in the roads network in the period to 2022 with €4.4 billion earmarked for the maintenance and strengthening of the existing extensive network throughout the country and €1.6 billion for new projects.  Allowing for the commitments relating to the PPP projects, the balance available for new projects within the available capital envelope is limited.

As Minister I have to work within the annual allocations set out in the plan and in this context the capital plan provides for a gradual build-up in capital funding from the current relatively low base towards the levels needed to support maintenance and improvement works. It will, however, take some years yet under the capital plan to restore steady-state funding levels for land transport. The focus will have to continue to be on the maintenance and renewal of infrastructure. There will be a significant ramp-up in funding from 2020 which will facilitate the construction of the road improvement projects included in the plan.

As regards the possibility of additional funding within the plan period, the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform indicated in his budget speech that he is bringing forward the capital plan review. There is a strong case for additional funding for the transport sector which I will make. However, the parameters for the review and the final decisions on allocations are matters for the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform and Government as a whole.

Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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I thank the Minister for his reply. Notwithstanding the financial constraints, would the Minister agree that there now appears to be an urgent and pressing need for investment earlier than anticipated a year ago in the transport sector owing to the traffic jams that are increasing daily on roads such as the M50? Awaiting a plan to put in place in two or three years' time is not the answer now. Would the Minister consider formulating an extended plan to encompass the requirements now visible and those yet to develop, given the nature of the economy's development?

Shane Ross (Dublin Rathdown, Independent)
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I thank the Deputy for his suggestion. Nobody would realistically underestimate the traffic problems, particularly in the capital city. It would be unrealistic for me, as Minister, to suggest anything else. I acknowledge the difficulties, particularly with the M50 and in Dublin city centre. We need a certain amount of patience at the moment because a large number of the plans we have would be unaffordable at the moment. Metro north is a multi-million euro project, which I would love to see starting tomorrow but we simply do not have that money in the Department or the State at the moment. The projections from the 2020 period onwards are fairly optimistic. We cannot achieve overnight what we would like to achieve with the traffic volumes increasing, but we have a well-considered long-term plan that includes metro north, the DART underground and, of course, the Luas cross-city which will start next year.

Pat Gallagher (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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I call Deputy Wallace for a condensed 30 seconds, because I have the facility to cut him off.

Mick Wallace (Wexford, Independent)
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The National Transport Authority and Irish Rail are believed to have earmarked five rail lines for closure, including the stretch of line between Gorey and Rosslare. It is unclear whether these threats, which have come about because of severe cuts to subventions, will materialise, but it is worrying that such closures are being contemplated. I wish to make a couple of points to the Minister.

Pat Gallagher (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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The Deputy has-----

Mick Wallace (Wexford, Independent)
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Passenger numbers on the section of line are increasing while the subvention cost per passenger is decreasing. Some 3,500 people commute from Wexford to Dublin and Wicklow each day. Wexford is 100 km closer to Dublin but the train journey time is the same. If improvements were made, many more people would use it and it is a very worthwhile service.

Pat Gallagher (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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I will combine this with Deputy Durkan's final supplementary question.

Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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To what extent can public private partnerships be used as a mechanism to provide a greater share of the capital investment required now? To what extent can the private sector on its own be encouraged? To what extent can the Minister enhance the role of the public transport sector in that area with a view to a combination of factors to bring about the desired result?

Pat Gallagher (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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The Minister has one minute to respond to both.

Shane Ross (Dublin Rathdown, Independent)
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In response to Deputy Durkan, if any public private partnerships are produced to the NTA, I would certainly encourage it to look at them. There must be such possibilities around the country. A large number of people have looked at them and suggested that they were not commercially viable, but if anything commercially viable is proposed and it is socially acceptable, it should, of course, be considered because we have a critical situation.

Deputy Wallace got the longest 30 seconds that anybody has got away with in this House for a long time.

Pat Gallagher (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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The Deputy played in many a match that was won or lost in 30 seconds.

Shane Ross (Dublin Rathdown, Independent)
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In injury time, and he is in injury time there. He is talking about the Gorey to Rosslare rail link. The issue there is simple. No rail lines have been targeted for cuts. To me this is not a cop out. The public consultation ends on 18 January. The rail review will then make certain suggestions. I have no personal view on the issue the Deputy has raised. I am very happy to consider what he has to say about the low subvention and the high traffic numbers.

Pat Gallagher (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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I thank the Minister.

Shane Ross (Dublin Rathdown, Independent)
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That is absolutely fine, but I can assure him it is not targeted for cuts, because nowhere is targeted for cuts at the moment.