Jim McDaid (Donegal North East, Fianna Fail)

As I said, the Department of Transport has only been in existence for a year and a half. While there was a certain lagging behind in infrastructure, there has been a 60% increase in spending in the BMW region this year. I am sure the matter will progress once the planning and design stages, for which the sum of €230,000 has been allocated this year, have been completed. In the next few years, a large amount of money will become available for that region. Once we get the port tunnel and Luas operational — one will start in September and the other next year — and off our books, much more money will become available, particularly for expenditure in those areas. At present, however, the larger projects are eating into our budget.