Trevor Ó Clochartaigh (Sinn Fein)

Ba mhaith liom go n-iarrfaí ar an Aire Iompair teacht isteach agus soiléiriú a thabhairt don Teach maidir le cúrsaí mótarbhealaí agus cúrsaí infrastruchtúra agus na forbairtí atá á dhéanamh ansin, i bhfianaise an scéal atá tagtha amach go bhfuilimid ag íoc €500,000 in aghaidh na míosa le comhlucht Spáinneach mar nach bhfuil a dóthain carannaí ag úsáid na mótarbhealaí atá againn, agus ag an am céanna go bhfuilimid ag rá le muintir na Gaillimhe nach bhfuil dóthain airgid againn leis an aerphort a choinneáil oscailte an bhliain seo chugainn, chomh maith leis sin go bhfuilimid ag caint ar dolaí nua a chur ar an mótarbhealach idir Gort Inse Guaire agus Tuam Dá Ghualain agus go mbeidh muintir na Gaillimhe agus an iarthair, a bhéas ag úsáid an bhóthair sin, ag íoc €22 milliún in aghaidh na bliana leis an mótarbhealach sin a úsáid. Tá sé tábhachtach go ndéanfaí plé, muna bhfuil daoine ag úsáid na mótarbhealaí seo agus muna bhfuil dóthain teacht isteach ag an chomhlucht maidir leis na dolaí, cén todhchaí atá ag na bóithre seo.

I ask for the issue of motorway tolls to be considered by the House. I have been informed that given the lack of motorway toll revenues being collected by the Spanish company which runs the tolls arising from an insufficient number of cars using the motorways, €500,000 per month is being paid to the aforementioned company. This is scandalous, particularly as those who run Galway Airport have been informed it will not receive an operating grant next year to keep it open as part of the west's essential infrastructure. Moreover, it has been announced that two new tolls will be added to the road between Galway and Tuam and the people of the west will be obliged to pay €22 million per annum to use that road. It is obvious both to me and to most of those who are observing the motorways' operation that people are not using them because of these tolls. Therefore, this appears to have defeated the purpose of building the roads in the first place and a serious debate is required on the position regarding tolls on the motorway network, whether this is working and what the future plan will be.