Alex White (Labour)

On a day when several Ministers are attending a conference on practical transport initiatives to tackle climate change, it is extraordinary that not one of the flagship transport projects referred to by Senators O'Toole and Fitzgerald will be delivered on time. During the debates in the House on the economy and public infrastructure, we must sit through Ministers listing off initiatives and projects, allegedly under way, and the price tag to go with them.

Today's newspapers contain lists of flagship infrastructure projects, essential for the economy and of social benefit to communities, which the Minister for Transport acknowledges will not be delivered on time. He made the extraordinary admission that he was not concerned about the slippage on the project timelines, proclaiming the times given were indicative dates.

Why does the Government give indicative dates if they are not to be taken seriously? Is this a signal to the people that when an indicative date is given for any project, it should be ignored as it counts for nothing? The Minister claims he, like many others, spends two hours every day travelling in the car to Dublin, as if that would make us all feel okay and he would feel the pain of the rest of the community. It is not good enough.

After ten years of prosperity, which the Leader tells us about every second day in his response to the Order of Business——