Martin Cullen (Waterford, Fianna Fail)

This is the first substantive debate by either House concerning Transport 21 and it is entirely appropriate that it should take place in Seanad Éireann, many of whose Members have taken an active interest in national transport issues during the past decade in particular. No one will know that better than the distinguished Leader of the House and former Minister with responsibility in this area.

I will begin by recalling that the decision taken in last year's budget to implement an extended ten-year capital envelope for transport investment was the starting point for the preparation of Transport 21. That important decision was a recognition of the reality of the long timeframes involved in planning, designing and completing large transport infrastructure programmes. The period between budget 2005 and the announcement of Transport 21 in Dublin Castle on 1 November was used by my Department to develop what is without doubt the most detailed and comprehensive transport plan ever devised here. However, the reality is that the roots of Transport 21 extend back to June 2002 and the far-sighted decision by this Government to establish, for the first time in the history of the State, a single Department with responsibility for national roads, aviation and public transport. The clear, and clearly stated, reason for doing so at that time was to further the development of an integrated transport system nationally.

The specific mandate given to the Department of Transport by Government was to implement an integrated transport policy designed as far as possible to overcome existing delays, bottlenecks and congestion and to provide the consumer with greater choice by offering alternative modes of transport. In addition, through the integrated approach the Department was expected to develop and implement policies designed to improve regional balance and reduce rural isolation and social exclusion. Since 2002 the Department has undertaken substantial work on integration in consultation with other Departments and State agencies. This work takes account of Government policy documents, particularly the national spatial strategy and the regional planning guidelines. The result is a set of guiding principles for integrated transport policy which is published in the Department of Transport's current statement of strategy. These principles provided an important policy backdrop for the preparation of the integrated investment strategy contained in Transport 21.

In addition, in preparing Transport 21 my Department took account of the work already done on investment priorities under the existing capital envelope to the end of 2009 and of the various strategic studies already completed by my Department and its agencies, including A Platform for Change, the strategic rail review and the national road needs study. The Department also engaged with Córas Iompair Éireann, the Railway Procurement Agency, the National Roads Authority, the Dublin Transportation Office, relevant Departments and local authorities in order to identify the broad direction and priorities of the investment framework. The result of all this detailed and painstaking work is a transport investment strategy that for the first time allocates funding for a ten-year period to develop an integrated transport network that substantially enhances connectivity and provides for the development of an integrated transport network in the greater Dublin area.

All Members will be familiar with the details of the projects at this stage and, therefore, I will not waste their time by restating them. However, the main elements of Transport 21 can be summarised as follows: completion of the major interurban motorways by 2010 and the commencement of the substantial development of the remainder of the national primary road network; transformation of the transport system in the greater Dublin area, with a particular focus of the public transport network; completion of the renewal of the national rail network, with a major focus on the provision of enhanced services; and upgrading of the public transport provincial cities and in the regions.

While some of the reaction to Transport 21 has naturally and understandably focused on whether enough is being done for particular counties or towns, it is important that everyone considers not only the individual elements of Transport 21 but the manner in which those individual elements are integrated in order to provide a highly efficient national transport network that maximises the benefit of the investment for the population at large. This bigger picture is a key aspect of Transport 21 that should not be overlooked.

At this point it is relevant to point out that Transport 21 has been specifically developed with a view to supporting the Government's National Spatial Strategy 2002-2020, which seeks to promote more balanced regional development. This was an important issue for me in the preparation of Transport 21 as I was also responsible for bringing the national spatial strategy to fruition during my time as Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government. I am satisfied that, when taken together, Transport 21 and the national spatial strategy clearly demonstrate the joined-up thinking of the Government in the areas of transportation and spatial planning. These Government initiatives will contribute to sustainable development in all its dimensions — economic, social and environmental.

I now turn to the important issues of costs and value for money. The first point that needs to be made is that Transport 21 is a fully costed programme. The €34.4 billion cost is based on the aggregate costs of the constituent projects and these are in turn primarily based on costs provided by the transport agencies. The agencies have confirmed that the costs and underlying assumptions are as rigorous as possible taking account of the various stages of development, design and implementation of the projects. A greater degree of certainty can be attached to those projects that are already at an advanced stage of development. The difficulty in making accurate assumptions on final outtum costs for later projects has been addressed by providing contingency within individual projects where appropriate.

On this basis I am satisfied that the total funding of €34.4 billion is sufficient for the full implementation of Transport 21. There has been some criticism on the basis that the costs of the individual projects in Transport 21 are not known. However, I have indicated that I do not consider it prudent to release this commercially sensitive information until the public procurement processes for the individual projects are completed. In addition, some elements of Transport 21, such as traffic management, have global financial provisions rather than individual project allocations.

In recent times the majority of transport projects have been coming in on budget, with many ahead of schedule. For example, 20 of the 23 national road projects currently in construction are within budget. This augurs well for the successful implementation of Transport 21. Nevertheless, significant safeguards will be implemented to ensure that Transport 21 is delivered within budget. In the first instance projects within Transport 21 will be subject to normal statutory procedures, where required; capital appraisal in line with the Department of Finance guidelines; and the value for money initiatives recently announced by the Minister for Finance.

My Department will be responsible for overseeing the implementation of Transport 21 by the various transport agencies and local authorities. A monitoring group is being established which will be chaired by my Department. The group will include representatives of the Departments of the Taoiseach, Finance and other relevant Departments and State agencies. It will be responsible for the high-level monitoring of Transport 21 and reporting annually to Government on issues such as financial and physical progress.

Transport 21 addresses the important issue of the capital investment framework for transport for the next ten years. However, capital investment is only one element, albeit a critical one, in the delivery of an integrated transport system. At the launch of Transport 21 I said I was convinced, and still am, that we also need a new approach to transport in the greater Dublin area, delivered through a single authority, with real powers to ensure joined up thinking and delivery across all the transport modes.

A high-level four-member team, chaired by Professor Margaret O'Mahony and reporting directly to me, has since been appointed and charged with finalising a structure for the new transport authority, detailing its remit and responsibilities as well as identifying the human resources which are critical to the success of the body taking into account best practice and best experience internationally. The new authority will have responsibility for transport in the greater Dublin area. I have not set any restrictions or limitations on the team in relation to any considerations it may have regarding the role of the new authority vis-À-vis the future role of other transport bodies in the greater Dublin area.

The team has already commenced its work and I look forward to receiving its report at an early stage. I intend to bring proposals to the Government for decision as soon as I have considered the report of the team. The establishment of the Dublin transport authority will be another crucial step in ensuring the full and timely delivery of Transport 21.

Delivery is a critical aspect of Transport 21. In this regard we have set out clearly the completion dates of key projects and my primary focus is on ensuring that those completion deadlines are fully met. On the basis of the preparatory work that has been undertaken, I am satisfied that the completion dates are both realistic and achievable. It is the responsibility of the relevant implementing agencies to identify the project milestones necessary to achieve these completion deadlines. The structures that I am putting in place — the new transport authority for Dublin and the high-level monitoring group — will assist in ensuring that projects are delivered in the published timeframes.

During recent times we have seen the beginning of a new transport dawn with high quality roads being opened and enhanced public transport services, such as Luas, coming on stream providing more comfortable, efficient and safer services.

Before coming to the House today, I looked at my diary entries for the past few months and they made interesting reading. Last month, a new bypass was opened around Loughrea, a consultation was launched on route options for the Luas cross-city link, the business case for increasing the capacity of the Tallaght Luas line by 40% was approved, a fully accessible bus service was launched on the 20B route in Dublin, the statutory process for the extension of the Sandyford Luas line to Cherrywood was commenced and the Kinsalebeg road project on the Cork-Waterford border was commenced.

New rail services are also being introduced by Irish Rail. From 11 December next, new and increased commuter rail services will be introduced on the Maynooth and Drogheda lines, Cork-Cobh and Cork-Mallow lines and the Athlone-Dublin commuter route. Mainline rail services are also being upgraded with additional services on the Sligo-Dublin, Cork-Dublin and Tralee-Dublin lines. Improved Sunday services are also being introduced on a number of lines, including the Galway-Dublin and Limerick-Dublin lines. Fleets will also be modernised on a number of services and 30 and 40 year old carriages will be replaced with modern railcars. In the weeks leading up to the launch of Transport 21, the Dundalk western bypass and theWaterford outer ring road were opened, new eight-car DART services were launched and the Arklow to Gorey bypass was commenced.

This is an amazing amount of progress in a few short weeks and does not include the many other road and public transport projects that are also in construction across the country. Transport 21 will not only maintain this level of activity but accelerate the pace of commencements and the pace of delivery.

There has been no shortage of public debate over the past few months and years about the future direction of transport investment policy. This debate has been informed by numerous studies, including the strategic studies mentioned earlier and other studies, such as the one on the western rail corridor. Much informed debate has also taken place in this House and the Dáil. I have listened carefully and with interest to the views of Senators and Deputies in these debates.

I took account of all these inputs in developing Transport 21. The Government has now decided the future direction of transport investment for the next ten years. My focus and that of the Government is on implementation and delivery, rather than on further debate. I took the proposal for the railway order for the extension of the Luas from Connolly Station to the Point Theatre this morning. This project is a very important aspect of the development of the Luas, given the number of people who work and live in this area, and will be another significant addition. There has been good progress on the western rail corridor and we hope to make further progress in 2006. It is important that all parts of the country believe that the provision of major projects is an inclusive process and I am committed to delivering this on behalf of the Government.

The implementation of Transport 21 will give Ireland a first-class transport system that will connect all regions to each other and to our main seaports and airports, and will provide greatly enhanced public transport alternatives to the private car in cities. From 1 January 2006, major commercial ports and related safety issues will come under the aegis of the Department of Transport as a result of negotiations between myself, the Minister for Communications, Marine and Natural Resource, the Taoiseach and the Government. This area had previously been a missing link with regard to the cohesiveness of the overall delivery of transport services, given that road, rail and air transport are the responsibility of the Department of Transport and the key role played by our major ports in economic competitiveness and growth and job creation. This move demonstrates that the Government can think on cross-departmental lines and make significant decisions to ensure its policies deliver. Fianna Fáil Governments have always attempted to do this in a cohesive way that delivers for the Irish people.

We aim to improve the quality of life of people in Ireland and create economic regions throughout the country to allow people to live and work in different regions rather than being forced to come to Dublin. This will improve considerably the quality of life of both adults and children and the ability of people to progress smoothly and easily through the education system and own houses. It is about looking into the regions, rather than Dublin, for solutions, which is very significant.

The considerable investment in Dublin is not simply for the benefit of the people living there. Every country must have a thriving capital city which leads economic activity and remains competitive. If Dublin does not maintain this focus and position, the rest of the country will suffer. The investment in Dublin benefits everyone in the country, not merely in transport terms, and we must focus on maintaining the city's position as the country's key successful economic driver, as all capital cities are in successful countries. I am delighted that the Seanad organised this debate, in which I was pleased to participate.