Joe O'Toole (Independent)

Approximately two months ago, I raised the report on the western rail corridor with the Leader and she gave an undertaking that we would have a debate in the House on it. Despite the urgings of Senator Ross and others for the State to spend €400 million on buying out a few hundred metres of roadway on the M50, we should look at investing properly in the western rail corridor. I ask that the report be published as soon as possible and that the Government gives a commitment to investing in it sufficiently to make it worthwhile. The publication and launch of the report should also take place in Ennis or some other place along the western rail corridor area. We should give some attention to this issue and move it forward.

The issue raised by Senator Brian Hayes about the cost of cash transference is a significant problem. It is exacerbated by the amount of cash business that is still conducted. A number of other countries, particularly New Zealand, which is the same size as Ireland, have enormous money transfers at point of sale. Even children get their pocket money into an account which can be used to buy a bottle of Coke or something larger, with no additional cost. It means that bulk movements of money from one part of the country to the other do not take place.

This matter is not only concerned with security, although I agree with the points raised by Senator Brian Hayes in that regard. It is also concerned with the way we organise money. We should look carefully at the idea of greater usage of cards which do not create further millionaires in the banking community, but which are simply mechanisms for point of sale transference of price and payment.