Sean Barrett (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister, as always, for his reply. Sometimes other Departments can be abolished. Will the responsibilities of the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform be returned to the Department of Finance by a future government? Will there still be people doing this kind of appraisal and so forth?

I welcome what the Minister said about the strategic framework, which will be most interesting to read. The Minister spoke about constraints. Building roads or other infrastructure in the wrong place becomes, in itself, a constraint because we end up with a debt lodged in the Department of Finance and an asset not generating much in the way of a return. That was the spirit in which I tabled the amendment.

As the Minister has assured me that the point about analysis and appraisals is being dealt with otherwise than in this legislation, I will not press the amendment. I am glad the spirit of what we are trying to do to assist the Minister and his Cabinet colleagues is being addressed. If we have a request for a motorway, the capacity of which is 55,000 vehicles a day, we need to establish what the usage will be to know if it is appropriate or if something else could be tailored. I will not press the amendment and I thank the Minister for his considered reply.