Trevor Ó Clochartaigh (Sinn Fein)

I dtosach, ba mhaith liom aitheantas a thabhairt don chomhfreagras ón gCathaoirleach maidir le Seachtain na Gaeilge, mar bhí moladh déanta againn go ndéanfaí marcáil faoi leith ar Sheachtain na Gaeilge trí díospóireachtaí trí Ghaeilge agus mar sin de sa Teach seo. Dúradh nach féidir sin a dhéanamh i mbliana ach go mb'fhéidir go bhféadfaimís é a dhéanamh an bhliain seo chugainn, ach go mbeadh muide mar Sheanadóirí in ann labhairt i nGaeilge ar an 7 Márta, mar atá á dhéanamh sa Teach eile.

In the media flurry surrounding the visit of the Chinese delegation, another important initiative launched last Friday in Galway by the Minister for Health, for which I commend him, was missed. It can only be called the pre-meeting perambulation initiative. Due in the city for several visits on Friday, the Minister experienced at first hand the stress of having to sit in Galway traffic for an hour and a half. Instead of sitting there and getting worked up, however, he decided the best antidote was to get out of his car and walk to the meetings. It is handy enough to be able to do that when one has a ministerial driver but I was stuck there for the same time without having the luxury of being able to leave my car.

It draws to our attention once more to the issue of Galway city traffic which has been ridiculed up until now and which I have raised here on several occasions. I call again for a debate on this issue. I accept it is a broad issue and that the Leader has told us we have a wonderful mayor, Hildegarde Naughton, who has brought together a discussion group on the matter. However, the group needs to have the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport on board as there are broader players involved such as Bus Éireann and Iarnród Éireann, as well as issues surrounding air access, an outer bypass and the N17 bypass. These all contribute to traffic chaos in Galway city. It has gone far beyond a joke and we need a debate around it. Perhaps the Minister for Health could attend the House to give us his personal experience and advise us how to deal with the health implications of having to sit in traffic such as Galway's.