Paschal Donohoe (Fine Gael)

In recent months, we have spent much time in this House talking about two different points. The first is the serious problems we face in dealing with transport and congestion issues in the Dublin region. We have noted at great length the difficulty this is causing families, businesses and commuters in the area.

A second point we have discussed at even greater length is the concern many Members of this House have about the Health Service Executive. This is an organisation that was set up, asked to do too much and is full of experts and well-meaning people who, however, are not subject to Oireachtas accountability or to people in this House and elsewhere who cannot put questions to them to understand what is happening in their community.

This afternoon, we could do the same with legislation in respect of the Dublin transportation authority. This is a hugely powerful organisation that will have unprecedented powers to influence and execute infrastructure and transport services within the greater Dublin area. The legislation is being put before us this afternoon for the Second Stage debate to take place in one afternoon. No time is being afforded to Members of this House to scrutinise, understand or talk to experts about legislation that has taken the Department of Transport nearly six years to create.

I wish to move an amendment to the Order of Business today to allow us to extend the Second Stage debate on this legislation to next week. If we do not do this and if Members of the House do not support this amendment, I predict that in two or three years' time, Members on the other side of the House will be talking about the Dublin transportation authority in the same way they talk about the Health Service Executive. They will talk about their inability to get clear answers, a lack of responsiveness to questions they put and an inability to deliver key projects. If we do not extend this debate and have an opportunity to scrutinise this legislation properly, we will make the same mistake again.