Paschal Mooney (Fianna Fail)

This would have an immediate impact and an impact nationally. For example, it would have an impact on the decision regarding the location of the national children's hospital. A range of issues arise, including the number of jobs that would have been created as a result of its establishment, as well as its creation of direct links from Dublin Airport to the city centre, links which Dublin alone of all the major capital cities of Europe lacks. All businesses in north County Dublin also were heavily supportive of the project. I acknowledge the metro would run through the Minister's constituency and that she supported it. I express the hope, in the context of the amendments, that this project will be revisited within the present Administration's term of office. I make this point primarily because of all the praise given to the Government by the troika in respect of the monetary process under way, its single major criticism of the budget was the Government over-compensated by reducing the capital programme. This was the only aspect of the report singled out by the troika, which stated it was counter-productive. This debate concerns methods to stimulate growth in the Irish economy and in this context, it appears obvious that the Government must revisit major infrastructural developments such as metro north. It should start with the latter project and then work its way down towards the myriad of local authority schemes relating to national, county and regional roads that would provide real employment.

In the context of the ongoing debates and discussions on how this €80 billion can be used, I take Senator Darragh O'Brien's point well and am sure the Minister will make the same point, namely, she cannot force the pension funds into investing. However, I hope she will provide the environment in which jobs can be developed. In the main, governments do not provide jobs directly but tend to create the environment in which they can be created. This should be a key part of the Minister's discussions with her Cabinet colleagues. The Minister needs no reminder that the ultimate beneficiaries would be the country as a whole, the people of north County Dublin and the national constituency that would make use of the benefits of metro north.