Joe O'Toole (Independent)

I understand it is a bridge. I am not taking from the fact that it was a complicated work of engineering to build both bridges, particularly the Westlink. There can be no argument on the business side that the toll should be increased. It is completely wrong. Driving to any city in Europe on a tolled motorway, whether it be Paris, Lyon or any other city, as soon as one reaches the environs of the city, the motorway is toll-free. We did the opposite in Ireland. In order to complicate traffic matters further, the only place in which tolls were originally established was in the centre of Dublin city. Who thought up such a scheme?

This is the type of situation that is giving a bad name to the idea of public private partnerships. Such schemes merely represent cash cows for private sector operators who are not buying into the system. This is far removed from the issues about which Senator Scanlon and I have expressed concern on a number of occasions. We want to see local schools built in local areas, and indeed a school of music at third level. These objectives can be achieved in a proper way. The Minister of State should come back to us at a later stage on the question of a more flexible approach to the design of schemes, a separating out of financing, a clearer view on securitisation and a method for selling the positive aspects of public private partnerships to a wider public.