Brian Hayes (Fine Gael)

Following the recent Cabinet reshuffle, the Taoiseach told his Ministers that they must work twice as hard in the run-up to the general election. Last night the Minister for Foreign Affairs could not be found for the best part of half an hour and the Leader quite rightly spoke about the responsibility of Ministers to be here throughout the debate. I thank her for stating that so forcefully. Private Members' business is a very useful two-hour period every week which in effect is given over to various groupings in the House. We need to honour that time and Ministers should be here throughout the debate. I thank the Leader and the Cathaoirleach for their interventions because it was a great disservice to the House that such a situation arose last night.

Will the Leader bring to the attention of the Minister for Transport the rising number of accidents occurring since the introduction of the second Luas line from Tallaght to the city centre? Thankfully, there have been no fatalities. It is important that the problem be resolved as soon as possible. Better signage is needed, particularly as the tram goes through the city centre and drivers should not enter the yellow boxes. Better policing is also necessary for the critical time between now and Christmas and beyond when people are getting used to the new service. It is only luck that there have been no fatalities. There were two accidents in the past 48 hours. This situation must be rectified soon to inspire confidence not only in those who use the tram, but also in motorists and pedestrians who traverse the streets and look for safety. This issue must be resolved soon.