Joanna Tuffy (Labour)

I mentioned last week that the Minister made an announcement but we are yet to see the details of the proposal. If the Government does anything, however, it should scrutinise proposed expenditure in a way similar to what the Committee of Public Accounts does after the money is spent, where often it finds there are serious problems with the figures. There must be pre-evaluation because there is no point making the big announcement if the system to implement it is wrong. It is Labour Party policy to introduce a system to independently evaluate large-scale expenditure before the money is spent.

I live in mid-west Dublin, an area that includes Lucan and Clondalkin, and the Minister's plans will have an impact on us. If other tolls are introduced on the M50, what will happen on those roads that are not tolled? People will avoid the tolls, particularly because they have used the M50 in one direction where there is no toll. Those people will not accept the principle of having to pay a toll on an old road. They will avoid that road, with a resultant impact on roads in Lucan, Clondalkin and Tallaght.

The Minister appeared on "Today with Pat Kenny" this morning, saying that he would not introduce congestion charging until public transport options exist. If the Minister does anything for mid-west Dublin, he should give priority to the Kildare route project and give Dublin Bus the extra buses it needs for additional services and new routes.

Only yesterday I was talking to people who have been taking the bus for many years from Clondalkin to Peamount Hospital where they work. The people who got that bus are passed at their usual stop because the bus is full. When the issue is raised with Dublin Bus, the company states that it does not have the resources to put extra buses on the route and there is nothing it can do. Dublin Bus must be given the buses promised in the national development plan. While I would like to see Luas and metro arrive in Lucan, it is not even on the drawing board, while both Dublin Bus and Iarnród Éireann have concrete proposals and infrastructure for the Kildare route project that would benefit many people. It was supposed to be finished in 2005.