Seán Ó Fearghaíl (Kildare South, Ceann Comhairle)
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In taking Leaders' Questions under Standing Order 29, I appeal to all Members to have regard to the clock and the allocated time. We went badly over time yesterday.

Robert Troy (Longford-Westmeath, Fianna Fail)
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In the past two weeks, numerous articles have been written in the press about the financial state of Bus Éireann, with losses of €6 million last year and projected losses of €7 million this year. While these losses are significant and unsustainable in the long run, services to people across the country should not be jeopardised.

The semi-State company faults Expressway services for significant losses and is seeking to separate it from the rest of the firm. Bus Éireann contracted Grant Thornton to carry out a report on the losses and how they could be tackled. It seems the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport, Deputy Shane Ross, and the Government are accepting that it is inevitable that there will be cuts to routes all over the country and cuts to overtime for staff which, in itself, will lead to a reduction in services.

There is no quick fix for this challenge, but there needs to be a constructive approach from all stakeholders, including the National Transport Authority, management, unions and the Government, regarding how services can be sustained into the future. The Grant Thornton report has been freely available since last week, yet the Minister, Deputy Ross, claimed he has not read it. In the interests of being helpful, I made a copy of the report I received and left it in the Minister's pigeonhole yesterday. How could he brief the Cabinet yesterday on a report that the Taoiseach claimed he had not received or read? The report recommended route closures across the country and job losses, and is generating real anxiety and worry across the country from people who rely on public transport.

The Minister seems to be ducking and diving from playing any role in how access to bus services will impact on the public. The Taoiseach and Government have a role to play.

Finian McGrath (Dublin Bay North, Independent)
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The Deputy is a great man for ducking and diving.

Robert Troy (Longford-Westmeath, Fianna Fail)
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The silence of the Minister, Deputy Ross, is truly deafening and is certainly unnatural for him. We read in theSunday Independenthow he chose to nitpick sloppy grammatical errors rather than discuss the actual content of the most recent road safety report at a time when the number of deaths on the roads is increasing. He seems unable to take ministerial accountability seriously and has decided to revert to being a journalistic commentator and master of distraction.

Has the Minister not read the Grant Thornton report? What exactly did he brief the Cabinet on yesterday? Does he agree with the Grant Thornton report, which states that there are limited strategic reasons for the State to have ownership of a commercial bus business? There is a role for commercial activity in a regulated market, but will the Government stand by and allow commercial activity to cherry-pick lucrative routes and allow many regions, including the Taoiseach's area, to be deprived of public transport?

Seán Ó Fearghaíl (Kildare South, Ceann Comhairle)
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Deputy Troy is new to this, but if everybody starts running over time in this way we will not be able to keep to the schedule.

Enda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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I will abide by the ruling of the Ceann Comhairle. The Minister, Deputy Ross, is not responsible for what has happened. Bus Éireann commissioned a report from Grant Thornton into the circumstances and conditions that apply to the company. As I pointed out yesterday, the commercial arm of Bus Éireann, Expressway, is losing €6 million a year. That is the reality and it is a commercial problem.

It is important to note that those losses have not been caused by Government funding because Bus Éireann's PSO network is performing very well, financially and operationally. Last year it received €40 million in PSO funding, 17% more than in 2015. The PSO services carried almost 32 million people, an increase of 5% on the previous year. The new chief executive asked what the company needed to do in this regard.

The losses related to Expressway services, which compete with other operators. There has been very strong growth in the commercial bus market, with almost 23 million people using commercial buses in 2015. This growth has not been felt in the Expressway arm of Bus Éireann.

As I stated yesterday, contrary to some reports a glut of new licences has not been issued in recent years. In fact, only eight licences have issued since 2011 while 11 applications were rejected. These changes to the bus market have seen some towns and villages lose services. However, some areas that lost commercial services have seen public service obligation services put in place by the National Transport Authority in recent years to ensure connectivity and that the people the Deputy referred to have a service.

The Minister, Deputy Ross, has already commented that, in the context of a decision to be made following discussions between management and trade unions in Bus Éireann, the National Transport Authority and the Government will see to it that services will be replaced if there is a reduction in them. This is not the first time this has happened. There is quite an extensive rural transport scheme in operation and the Government will see to it that it is maintained in the interest of people throughout the country.

Robert Troy (Longford-Westmeath, Fianna Fail)
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The Government is the main stakeholder in Bus Éireann, so it has a role to play, and Deputy Ross is the Minister with responsibility for transport, so he has a role to play. I thank the Taoiseach for repeating back to me what I already know and have put on the record of the House. I asked what the Minister briefed the Cabinet on yesterday. Does the Taoiseach believe that the Minister did not see a copy of a report that is freely accessible to the Members of the House? If the Minister did not see it, why did he not seek a copy of the report from Bus Éireann, which has it since November.

The Taoiseach spoke about the route licences and how they were issued. Seat capacity on the route between Dublin and Limerick has grown by 111% since 2010. Seat capacity on the route between Dublin and Cork has grown by 128% since 2010. There is over-capacity on certain routes while other routes will be starved. Will the Taoiseach commit to review how licences are issued? I understand a report was commissioned and that it is on the Minister's desk, but I am wondering if we will have to wait for that report to be leaked so that we can have a meaningful debate on how we will ensure that every region in the country has the confidence that it will have a sustainable public transport service.

Enda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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The Deputy is being very hard on the Minister.

Enda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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The Deputy is being very hard on him at the start of a new session. The Minister confirmed to the Cabinet yesterday that he had not received the report but that, from what he had read about it in newspapers and elsewhere, the focus seemed to be more on the structure of the company and the conditions that apply there than on individual routes. He has already commented publicly that we will not see a diminution of service for places in rural Ireland that have lost out.

The Deputy is quite right that those who travel on them see the number and quality of buses - no more than the new ones Bus Éireann itself has bought - that are on the motorways. However, the fact of the matter is that it is losing €6 million a year and that needs to be addressed, which is now a matter for the management and the trade unions. The Government also has an interest. It has invested €40 million of public money into it. As I stated, despite the perception, it is not the case that there is some mysterious glut of new licences on the market. The process of granting licences can be reviewed and I will bring that to the attention of the Minister. In everyone's interests, I hope the discussions that will take place between the company and the unions on the matter-----

Robert Troy (Longford-Westmeath, Fianna Fail)
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What about the Government's role?

Enda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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-----will be constructive and progressive and that we can move on and continue to provide services for people. However, it is losing €6 million a year, which is a problem.

Mary Lou McDonald (Dublin Central, Sinn Fein)
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Yesterday the British Prime Minister, Theresa May, set out her stall in advance of the opening of Article 50 negotiations in a matter of weeks. Some have described her utterances as a plan. It is not a plan; it is a wish list. It is a wish list that will no doubt please the likes of Nigel Farage and those on the Tory right, but one thing that is clear is that it is bad news for Ireland.

Prime Minister May repeated her intention to bring an end to the jurisdiction of the European Court of Justice. Alongside her vow to end Britain's commitment to the European Convention on Human Rights, this will have profound implications for the Good Friday Agreement because, as the Taoiseach knows, both are fundamental to the human rights provisions contained in the Agreement. The Taoiseach needs to make clear to Prime Minister May that this cannot happen.

The Prime Minister's intention to leave the Single Market and her indecisiveness about the customs union will have a detrimental impact on the economy, both in the North and across Ireland. Exiting either would create a hard Border on the island. That is a fact.

The Prime Minister's remarks on the future of the common travel area contained no new detail other than vague references. From an Irish perspective, we are still left wondering about the following question: Brexit means Brexit means what? The one thing we know is that Prime Minister May's plan shows that she persists in ignoring the views of the people of Ireland. It is worth reminding ourselves that citizens in the North voted to remain in the European Union. That is their democratic wish and that voice needs to be heard. Far from voting with their eyes open to leave the EU, the vote and mandate from citizens in the North was clear. It was "No" to a Tory, little Englander approach and "No" to a hard Border. Any pretence from the British Government about consultation is just that. It has no interest in consulting any of the devolved institutions. The Prime Minister used her speech to announce a meeting of the Joint Ministerial Committee for Thursday - so much for consultation. She is not interested in listening to the views of the devolved administrations in the North or anywhere else, that much is clear.

The Taoiseach is in a different position, however. He will sit at the negotiating table as one of the remaining 27 member states. He will have a view and a say. He has a key role to play and he must be assertive because the issues and stakes are massive. It will fall to him, as Taoiseach, to uphold the democratic wishes of the people of this island who are being ignored by the British administration. The only workable solution for the North is to be granted special designated status within the European Union and the Taoiseach needs to work to that goal. More than that, we need to hear now from him what is his holistic, considered approach to defending the interests of the island. The Prime Minister, Theresa May, has set out her approach. We now need to hear the Taoiseach's view, vision, plan and strategy. When will we hear those?

Enda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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I referred on many occasions to what we want for our country and citizens, namely, a continuation of a strong economy; the preservation of the common travel area; no return to a hard Border or borders of the past; to maintain our trading links; and to negotiate, as part of the European Union team, our position in the European Union of the future. What happened yesterday is that, following the referendum in Britain on 23 June 2016, calls were made for clarity and the Prime Minister has set out what she believes is the best option for Britain. One would not expect her to do anything else. After all, the British Government has decided to follow through on the vote in the referendum and leave the European Union.

The other side of the equation is that, from a European perspective, 27 countries, one of which is Ireland, will negotiate from the other side of the table. These negotiations have not even started yet. What we have at the moment is a declaration of what the British Government sees as being in Britain's interest. We have not had the benefit of a discussion by the 27 other member states, from a European perspective, on where these countries, including Ireland, see the future of Europe.

Deputy McDonald made the point that the Prime Minister had no interest in consulting. While I do not speak for the Prime Minister, I heard her say she wanted all the devolved administrations, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, represented on the negotiating team from a British perspective. The Deputy also made the point that this is bad news for Ireland.

The negotiations have not yet commenced but Sinn Féin wants to take the line of blaming everybody without accepting any responsibility. I want the Deputy to understand that we will argue vociferously in respect of the issues I have already pointed out we have been preparing for and mentioned yesterday by the Prime Minister in her speech. Also, when Britain has left the European Union this country will remain a member of it. Ireland is an English speaking nation, with a strong record of dealing with Europe, a strong proposition for continued investment and an attractive location for job creation and careers. Yes, there will be challenges, not the least of which will be, as referred to by Deputy McDonald, the British courts and the European Court of Justice and where decisions might be made in cases where difficulties arise from a particular circumstance or another. I do not accept the Deputy's proposition. I will argue very strongly in favour of our proposition for the future of our country and Northern Ireland.

Mary Lou McDonald (Dublin Central, Sinn Fein)
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I would not expect any British Prime Minister to consider or argue for anything other than that which he or she considered to be in the British interest. Let there be no mistake about it the British interest does not include what is good for the North of Ireland or for this island as a whole. It is important that is said out loud. It seems to me that the Taoiseach has sat on his hands until now, awaiting breathlessly the utterance of Prime Minister, Theresa May, in terms of what the British system proposes to do. He now argues that he is awaiting what other EU member states might have say in that regard. All of that is fair enough. However, it is now clear that the Taoiseach has no plan. That is very troubling. I am well aware that Article 50 has not as yet been triggered and that there will be a complicated, high stakes process of negotiation. Sinn Féin will take on any responsibility that it rightly shoulders in that regard.

It is clear that the Taoiseach, at this eleventh hour, has no discernible plan, vision or direction. All he has done today in this Dáil Chamber is repeat a list of issues. A list of issues is not a plan. It will not protect Irish jobs, Irish agriculture, our economy, our political institutions or the Good Friday Agreement. A list of issues is no good and no comfort to the citizens of the North who voted to remain. In regard to the Taoiseach's statement that he will protect this country, this country stretches beyond Dundalk into the exotic lands of Newry and as far as the Glens of Antrim.

Seán Ó Fearghaíl (Kildare South, Ceann Comhairle)
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The Deputy is over time.

Mary Lou McDonald (Dublin Central, Sinn Fein)
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That is the jurisdiction for which this Government has responsibility. We need a plan. Perhaps the Taoiseach will respond to the question of when we can expect a plan in a manner that can be understood across Ireland.

Peadar Tóibín (Meath West, Sinn Fein)
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The 32 counties.

Enda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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The type of politics contained in the Deputy's commentary is typical of where Sinn Féin is now, namely, without responsibility in this matter, blaming everybody and with its own wish list. I have already pointed out to Deputy McDonald that what we want for this country is a continuation of a strong economy, our own citizens and no return to a hard Border.

Mary Lou McDonald (Dublin Central, Sinn Fein)
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Precisely.

Enda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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We want the common travel area preserved and we will work for that. All of the details will not be known for some time because the negotiations have not yet commenced. As stated by the Deputy, I stand in this Chamber today as co-guarantor of the Good Friday Agreement, which requires me to ensure that the institutions of Northern Ireland work in the interests of the people of Northern Ireland. We will defend that with everything we have.

Martin Ferris (Kerry, Sinn Fein)
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The Taoiseach has sat on his hands.

Enda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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I remind Deputy McDonald that the first ever all-island forum was held last November, to which Sinn Féin contributed. The next forum is scheduled to take place on 17 February. In the meantime, 12 sectoral locations from Northern Ireland will give us their views on Brexit.

Mary Lou McDonald (Dublin Central, Sinn Fein)
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Where is the Taoiseach's plan?

Enda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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I will take those views to Europe in the context of the discussions to take place. I hope to see Deputy McDonald there.

Mary Lou McDonald (Dublin Central, Sinn Fein)
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The Taoiseach does not have a plan.

Catherine Connolly (Galway West, Independent)
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Galway University Hospital is at crisis point. This is a hospital that serves a core population of 800,000 people and six core counties. In addition, it serves a number of other counties, which means it serves a population of approximately 1 million people.

It is operating on code black alert, the highest emergency code, and at full capacity on an ongoing and prolonged basis. As a direct result, the obvious things happen. Elective surgeries have been cancelled. Large numbers of people have been left on trolleys, reaching a peak of 50 at Christmas. In addition and directly arising from that, there is an ongoing review of an operation performed in a ward. We are awaiting the review concerning the death on a trolley of somebody in their 80s. We are awaiting the conclusions of a report on spinal surgery, inappropriately carried out in some cases and causing premature deaths in two cases. We are still awaiting confirmation that all the recommendations of the Savita Halappanavar inquiry have been implemented.

In addition, very ill patients are walking out of casualty on a daily basis. There are people with mental health problems being shoved through casualty. Indeed, the lack of capacity in the hospital, which issue is not parochial or local because the hospital serves 1 million people, means it has been ranked number one on the risk register. Dr. Fergal Hickey in Sligo has said the abnormal has become the normal.

In addition, there is a report, independently commissioned by the Saolta group, on the accident and emergency department. The physical environment of the department is shocking and disturbing. It is unfit for purpose. A submission has been received from Saolta and the clinical director of the hospital stating the current ageing facilities in the hospital are not fit for purpose and do not provide an appropriate environment in which to safely manage the current and future care needs of the population of the region. I ask the Taoiseach not to stand up and give the answers I received from him and the Minister since I came here ten months ago. I do not want a list of the improvements he has planned. I want him to react to what I am being told by the clinical director and to what I learned from the external report, which states it is not just a matter of the accident and emergency unit because the hospital itself is not fit for purpose.

This is not a political agenda. The authorities want two things. They want immediate confirmation of investment in the accident and emergency unit to make it fit for purpose and, more important, they want confirmation of approval so they can proceed with examining priorities for a new hospital.

The system is failing. The system itself is ill, leading to people becoming ill and dying. I ask the Taoiseach to stand up and give a direct answer. This failure is as a direct result of the lack of investment by Governments driven by an ideology that public is bad and private is good.

Enda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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I am not sure what the Deputy wants me to say in respect of that.

Catherine Connolly (Galway West, Independent)
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I will repeat it if the Taoiseach likes.

Enda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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There are certainly elements of what the Deputy said with which one cannot disagree. In recent weeks, University Hospital Galway has reported very high attendance rates and a number of infection control issues. That is a fact. Consequently, the full escalation protocol has been in operation for some time. It is implemented on a regular basis. The HSE advises that there continues to be an emphasis on access to diagnostics and enabling prioritised discharges to address congestion at this hospital.

As the Deputy is well aware, significant projects completed in recent years include the clinical research facility, which I am sure she welcomes. Also included are the upgrade to the maternity unit and the cystic fibrosis outpatient department, both of which I am sure she also welcomes. Galway emergency department is one of the focus sites for the winter initiative. As part of that enhanced measure, 23 additional beds have been opened in Galway. They have made a difference, whether the Deputy agrees with that or not. A 75-bed ward block and an acute adult mental health unit are currently under construction, as the Deputy is aware. I am sure she welcomes that. They are expected to be operational later this year.

The programme for Government contains a specific reference to the emergency department. It was constructed in the 1950s and upgraded in the 1990s. To improve operational flow in 2005 and 2006, it was undertaken to create a "minors" area to enable streaming of patients. This is not satisfactory. I have said this in the House before. The Saolta group has advised that a cost–benefit analysis with regard to the emergency department project was submitted to the HSE at national level. The Deputy has quoted from it. The cost–benefit analysis is now being considered. It was accepted by the HSE's national capital steering committee at its meeting on 15 November.

The HSE has advised that capital funding will be put in the 2017 capital plan to commence planning and design and the new emergency department project remains a real priority for the Saolta group.

The acute medical assessment unit at UHG is a consultant-led service that opens on a day service basis. The unit takes all medical patients from the emergency department following triage. There is access to key services, such as diagnostics, to facilitate rapid decision making and so on.

The Minister for Health was due to visit Galway before Christmas, but it was not possible to do so. He wants to go there, and will be there in the next matter of weeks, both to look at the emergency department and at the possibilities that might be implemented in respect of better use of Merlin Park. Believe me, Deputy, however, that when one starts making major changes, it is not the politics that are the cause of the problems. The Minister will be down there very shortly to address the issue.

Catherine Connolly (Galway West, Independent)
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I am not sure what the Taoiseach did not understand about what I said. First, the Taoiseach had time to visit a private hospital in Galway before Christmas. Second, the Minister has failed to attend in Galway. Third, this issue is not about what I want. Let me cite the Saolta group again because this is what the management in Galway wants. It states that the ageing facilities at UHG are "not fit for purpose". We have crisis after crisis, and scandal after scandal. I am not interested in going into the details of those, but I am appealing to the Taoiseach. I do not believe what he is telling me. Neither he nor the Fine Gael Government has a grasp of the situation in Galway city, which represents a population of 1 million people. We are at crisis point. This situation is causing deaths and leading to ill health.

All I am asking the Taoiseach to do is to hear what I am saying as a mouthpiece for the clinical director, consultants and medical staff, who say that we are at crisis point. I did not quote the Taoiseach. I quoted from this independent report on the accident and emergency department and the scandalous, unsafe and dangerous situation pertaining. If the Taoiseach can nod to those words and yet read from that prepared script, there is something wrong with "new politics".

Mattie McGrath (Tipperary, Independent)
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Hear, hear.

Enda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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The Saolta group commissioned a report into the emergency department. That report, comprising a cost-benefit analysis, was accepted by the HSE last November. Now, the Deputy does not want to recognise the fact that a clinical research facility has been put in there. She does not want to recognise the upgrade to the maternity unit.

Mattie McGrath (Tipperary, Independent)
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Stop.

Enda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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She does not want to recognise that the cystic fibrosis outpatient department has been put in place. She does not want to recognise any of these things and instead she comes in here and blithely calls for a new hospital. She knows as well as I do that these things take time. I am saying to her that the emergency department in Galway, as I said before, is not fit for purpose.

Catherine Connolly (Galway West, Independent)
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The hospital is not fit for purpose.

Enda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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I did not want to see a cost-benefit analysis to know that much. The answer to that is that one has to deal with that problem. Therefore, the Minister for Health is going to go down to University Hospital Galway very shortly both to look at the conditions of the emergency department and to discuss what might be possible to have put in Merlin Park.

Noel Grealish (Galway West, Independent)
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The good news from Galway is that unemployment levels are dropping and more people are returning to work, as is the case in most parts of the country. The bad news for Galway is that this also means more cars on the road and that a city that is famous worldwide for all sorts of good reasons is becoming known more and more for its appalling traffic problems.

The Galway city outer bypass or ring road will not be opened until at least 2026. That is assuming that it gets the necessary go ahead. The history of the project, which has been stuck in the pipeline for two decades, would not fill one with confidence on that score. What are we going to do in the meantime? Is the city expected to come to a standstill for the next ten years, with everyone sitting in his or her car while Galway becomes one giant car park? Dublin, Cork, Limerick and Waterford have bypasses. Galway is officially the third largest city in the country, yet there is still no bypass in sight and traffic volumes are growing by the month.

In that regard, people like Mr. John Gormley, the former Green Party Minister for the environment, has much to answer for because, but for their objections over everything from snails to bog cotton and limestone pavements, the road, which would have been a vital addition to the infrastructure of a vibrant and growing city, would have been built years ago.

The current plan, involving a bypass, a ring road stretching from the eastern approaches to the west of the city, and the building of a fifth bridge over the River Corrib is going through a process at the moment that will take time. Currently, submissions are being invited from the public on the proposed route and the design will not be finished until the end of January. Then it has to go through the entire planning process and there is still no guarantee that at the end of the day we will have a road that will solve Galway's woeful traffic problems. We had plans before that have fallen at various hurdles.

We hear every morning on the radio about the traffic congestion in Claregalway and Parkmore. The only solution to the problem in Claregalway is an inner relief road as the new M17-M18 will not solve the traffic problems in the village, given that a new secondary school has now opened with more than 1,000 students enrolled. The situation in Parkmore is even more serious, with approximately 10,000 people travelling daily to and from work on a single road. Employers concerned about the continuing effects of traffic congestion on productivity, future expansion plans and job security.

What is plan B for Galway? We cannot sit on this process for another decade. Could we put a task force in place to find a solution? Where large factories close in major towns, a task force is put in place to try to find a replacement. Galway must now have the same urgent response. We are losing industry in Galway right now because of the city's traffic problems. It is a fact that we are losing employment and investment. I know of a number of companies that looked at Galway in recent months and they decided not to locate there due to the traffic problems. Will the Taoiseach give a commitment that funding will be provided this year to try to find a quick-fix solution to the traffic problems in Galway city and county?

Enda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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I thank Deputy Grealish for his question. There has been very strong growth and an increase in employment in the Galway area in recent years and it has exacerbated the problems that were already in existence in the city, which now has a population of 90,000 in the immediate city area. As Deputy Grealish is aware, the overall transport strategy was prepared by the National Transport Authority, NTA, in partnership with Galway City Council and Galway County Council during the course of 2016. That strategy set out the overall framework for the development of a transport infrastructure and services in Galway city and its environs over the next 20 years. The strategy has been included now in the city development plan that was adopted by the city council on 7 January this year. That sets out a strategy for a vibrant city where traffic is rerouted through the central core area, there are improved pedestrian and cycling facilities and it also provides for an enhanced bus network which will provide a much improved public transport service. It also provides for the development of park and ride facilities at suitable locations. I am advised that the existing service from the racecourse, which was developed over the Christmas period, was very successful.

To respond directly to Deputy Grealish's question, the transport strategy also includes the Galway city outer bypass, which is recognised as an absolute priority, as the Deputy will understand. Overall, the transport strategy represents a coherent set of propositions to deal with Galway in the medium and longer term. It is important to stress that all of the proposals cannot be delivered at once, nor is any single option the panacea for Galway city and the general area, which will increase in population significantly in the next 20 years. Elements of the bus network and parking facilities will help the situation in their own way but the priority is to implement the transport strategy.

Deputy Grealish mentioned Parkmore business park where there is significant traffic congestion on a constant basis. Work has been progressed there to develop both a short term and long-term solution to Parkmore. Galway City Council, funded through the NTA, under the Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport, has appointed a design team to examine options for possible short-term additions to address access to the business park and exits from it, in addition to identifying a longer term solution. Proposals will be identified and assessed by the end of February and, depending on the funding implications, I understand it may be possible to commence some of the smaller measures during 2017. The design team will evaluate options for the longer term and a more comprehensive solution to access employment lands may include a reconfiguration of the Monivea Road and Parkmore Road junction or the Monivea and No. 6, Briarhill, junction as well as the provision of further park and ride arrangements.

Noel Grealish (Galway West, Independent)
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I thank the Taoiseach for his reply. I know consultants have been appointed to look at the Parkmore Road infrastructure in particular but what they are proposing involves just tweaking the traffic lights on the Monivea Road. That will not solve the problem. I put a proposal to Galway City Council and Galway County Council that involves using Galway Airport for a park and ride facility to serve Parkmore where nearly 10,000 people work. I have met with all the top executives in Parkmore. These are multinational companies - people who are concerned about the traffic problems. They said they would even look at co-funding to put a park and ride facility in place. Over the past two decades in Galway, every egg was put in one basket, which was the Galway city outer road. There are major problems in the middle of the city relating to proper bus lanes from east to west. When Galway city was developed, it involved bad planning. All the houses are on the west of the city while all of the industry is on the east. Approximately 7,000 people are trying to cross the city every day to get to work. That is bad planning. We do not even have a proper bus service to get from east to west in Galway city. I ask the Taoiseach to put proper funding in place this year to find some sort of quick fix solution to provide a proper public transport service within Galway city that would service Parkmore, where people work, in particular.

Enda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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The Deputy has made a novel suggestion in respect of park and ride facilities and I will have it brought to the attention of the National Transport Authority. Obviously, it is concerned that the major propositions for the Galway outer ring road would be seriously expensive. At the same time, there needs to be a focus on more than tweaking a traffic light at Monivea. The suggestion made by the Deputy is novel and I will have it brought to the attention of the National Transport Authority. The design details for the longer term will be available later this year. In respect of funding, there will be a major capital review to be carried by June 2017. This can feed into that. I travelled the road there recently and got caught in one of those traffic jams the same as everybody else but I am glad to see that very significant progress has been made on the Gort-Tuam motorway which will add somewhat to the relief of congestion generally.