Mary O'Rourke (Fianna Fail)

—and trams which were uprooted, which was unfortunate. We have a very feeble public transport infrastructure. We are now only beginning and that is acknowledged in the ESRI review. We are beginning the great adventure to provide a similar service such as exists in other capital cities. The review strongly recommends the use of bus lanes. Luas and metro are all part of a proper provision of public transport services; none of them is a solution in itself. We are only beginning those journeys and we have a long way to go before we will ever have a proper national public transport system. We are beginning to provide a proper roads infrastructure but it is freely acknowledged in the review that much more has to be done. The review will help to focus minds and finance on the gaps in our system.

The review discusses the advantage of buses and bus lanes over fixed line rail but I do not think it should be one or the other. It has to be a complementary system of full provision, which suits various situations. The QBCs are in place. People may think it is easy to whistle up a bus lane overnight but the officials in Dublin City Council know how difficult it was to organise bus lanes, obtaining agreement from traders in particular who feared for their business. It should not be regarded as a case of buses versus trains because each is necessary.

Senator Higgins spoke about the areas in the review where the ESRI believed that expenditure should be reduced such as forestry, islands and harbours. It would be a foolish report that recommended more money should be spent in all areas. Clearly the review prioritised projects. I am sure various Ministers protecting their bailiwicks and funding will fight the just cause with the Department of Finance and at Cabinet to get their share of what is outlined in the national development plan.

I welcome the emphasis in the review on the BMW region from which I hail. Some people have an idea that there are jam jars filled with money for the BMW region and they question why that money is not being spent on the region. There is no jam jar filled with money. The money is drawn down when a project is ready to go forward and when finance is required. Planning has been slow in this regard. I have in mind the road from Dublin to the west through Athlone or Kinnegad. The road project has commenced and the plans for the Kinnegad bypass are visible. The planning for this road was slow. I suppose people have the right to object. I wish the Minister luck with the proposed Bill. It will streamline this process but I wonder what will happen the snails and the fens and the people who have objections. I hope when Senator Higgins gets into Europe he will not take up the cause of the snails crossing some by-road and argue they are the most important snails in the world. I never really met or saw a snail that was very important—