Shane Ross (Independent)

On 20 December, there will be much fanfare and transport triumph when the port tunnel is opened in Dublin. We should debate road infrastructure and traffic congestion in Dublin. When the tunnel is opened, it will only transfer a problem from one area of Dublin to the M50. An extra 9,500 vehicles will be forced to use the motorway every day.

The position on infrastructure is chronic. If, as the Taoiseach said in the Dáil yesterday, the Government is to do and can do absolutely nothing about it, we are in a critical situation. Anybody who wants evidence of this should consider the serious warnings given by the US Chamber of Commerce in its recent submission on the national development plan. The submission contained some alarming quotations that nobody seems to have noticed. Many executives of US companies are now suggesting that their companies locate anywhere but in Ireland because access to the airports is appalling and infrastructure presents real difficulties. They cannot move around at all and are therefore urging their companies not to locate in this country.

If we debate this matter, the Taoiseach or relevant Minister may reply that we should consider the announcement by Google this week of 800 new jobs at Grand Canal Dock. However, the significant point about Google's decision, which represents a serious warning, is that it decided to come to Dublin despite its being offered immensely attractive grants to go anywhere else. I conjecture, on the basis of what the US Chamber of Commerce said, that Google would not go anywhere else because it cannot get anywhere else. It is becoming the case that multinational investment in Ireland, regardless of one's views thereon, will cease very rapidly if we do not do something about transport infrastructure. The problem is this serious for the economy.