Shane Ross (Independent)

I find an anomaly in this area. The road we are talking about is under Government control. The Minister of State said in his reply that the day-to-day running of the roads is under the remit of the NRA. That is technically true. However, the buy-out, which is the important thing for the M50, was decided and paid for by the Government. The former Minister, Deputy Cullen, regularly answered detailed questions — perhaps not adequately — about the M50 and how it would operate. Could the Minister of State assure me that the Minister for Transport, whoever he is — it could be anybody in this room at this moment — will keep us informed of the day-to-day running of the M50, as it is of such public importance, and will keep a vigilant eye on the NRA to prevent its putting up tolling prices to indefensible levels?