Fergal Browne (Fine Gael)

I welcome the Minister to the House. This Government has a tendency to produce reports which it believes to be the end of a matter whereas in my view that is only the beginning. There is a great deal of fine information in this report and many ideas. I am impressed by the Minister's speech in which he has admitted that some parts of the report are flawed and can be improved upon. He says he will use the report as a guideline, but it will not be his bible.

We must remember that the 2002 census figures revealed that up to 70% of the population lives within 15 minutes drive of a railway station, which is food for thought for all of us. In 2002, €1.2 billion was spent by the NRA on roads, yet only €1.25 billion has been allocated to the rail system over 20 years for the Dublin area. We need to get our priorities right. We must examine the funding we provide to different infrastructural elements and question the value for money we get. We must be realistic. We cannot put railway stations everywhere, but while we depend on cars and roads, we should encourage people to use public transport as much as possible.

I am encouraged by the reference in the Minister's speech to the zoning of land, a matter on which everyone in the House will agree with him. However, I ask him to be helpful to the local authorities involved. He should issue a letter to the local authorities, many of which are compiling new development plans, informing them of his and his Department's viewpoint. He should encourage proper zoning in the context of existing railways lines. Without that encouragement, local authorities will be reluctant to zone in advance of the construction of new stations. The Minister might give a commitment that he will ensure the opening on time of a station if a certain number of houses are built in an area. That would be helpful and it would encourage better planning.

I am very encouraged by the references to freight services in the Minister's speech. When we previously debated the issue every Member was unhappy with Iarnród Éireann's attitude. The company has basically thrown its hands in the air and declared that the service is not working, but it has no enthusiasm for making it work. I appreciate that Ireland is different in that it is an island, but there is still scope to improve rail freight services. If Iarnród Éireann cannot do it, someone else should be allowed to have a go, which is why I am encouraged by the Minister's statement regarding the possible privatisation of the freight service. It is a step in the right direction. I look forward to returning to the matter in a few years' time to see that the rail freight system has been totally revitalised and that there are far fewer problematic heavy goods vehicles on our roads.