Brian Hayes (Fine Gael)

On 12 December a new motorway will be opened between Kinnegad and Kilcock, of which I am sure the Leader is aware. That is great news for those who can afford to travel on it but I have a question for the Government. The toll on this new stretch of motorway will be €2.40 each way but there is a condition attached to the contract to the effect that if five cars or more are queuing at the toll booths at any given time, the barriers will automatically open allowing all the cars through. If it is possible to do that on a new stretch of motorway, why can the same rule not apply to those who are sitting in the largest car park in the country, the M50, on a daily basis? Every day commuters must sit in their cars on the M50 while approximately 100 cars queue to get through the toll booth. Why must drivers from Dublin, Kildare, Meath and other counties endure that when the practice on the new motorway will allow a much more consumer friendly policy when it comes to opening the barriers? We need statements on that.

I am aware there is an historic problem to do with the contract on the M50, which other Senators have raised consistently in the House, but this discrimination regarding tolling policies must end. We must free up the space for those who have to use the M50 on a daily basis to commute across our city and introduce some equity to the issue of tolling. That is an issue I would like debated in the House if the Leader would be good enough to provide an opportunity between now and 12 December, when the new road will be opened.

On the second matter, I raised some time ago the problem of car trafficking North and South and homes being burgled to obtain keys to cars that are then stolen from outside people's homes. Will the Leader speak to the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform to determine if a new law could be framed that would make breaking and entering with the intention of stealing car keys a new offence? That would be a serious deterrent to those involved in this activity. We also need greater co-operation between the PSNI and the Garda Síochána because as we saw in Firhouse last week, the car used in that double murder came from Northern Ireland. I ask the Government to take this issue seriously. Car trafficking North and South and into Britain is a major problem, not just here in Dublin but in other urban centres. Cars are being stolen to order and a new law must be framed to come down strongly on those involved in this type of action.