Mary O'Rourke (Fianna Fail)

I will praise the Minister, Deputy Brennan, who has made a correct decision. The editorial contains a large broadside against him too – it says that one should not hold one's breath while waiting for him to do anything. The Minister has given great energy and commitment to pushing forward the agenda for the Luas and metro projects.

I agree with what my colleagues in Fianna Fáil and the Progressive Democrats have said about building the metro. I doubt if Madrid represents the magic lamp that we can rub to make everything clear. When one examines these matters one finds that they are different from what one thought they would be. There is no doubt that the metro is needed. Prices have gone up because construction inflation is absolutely enormous, as anyone who examines the roads, the port tunnel, Luas or the metro will know. I support fully the idea of a metro for Dublin, which was put forward in the programme for Government.

I take Senator Ryan's point about the railways in various parts of the country. I do not wish to praise myself, but I had better do so because nobody else is praising me.