David Norris (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I would like to give a general welcome to the Government's capital proposals. As I was listening to RTE on the wireless this morning, I thought it was quite unusual that there was a degree of accord between financial commentators and political pundits in welcoming the plan and finding very little indeed they could cavil about. I particularly welcome the introduction of metro north in a modified form. I hope this will go through. Many years ago, Senator Quinn and I introduced measures here to facilitate the development of a metro. After considerable consideration and discussion, the then Government agreed to introduce a metro, but it became a casualty of the financial difficulties in which the country found itself.However, it became a casualty of the financial difficulties in which the country found itself. I very much welcome the fact that it may go ahead in some limited form. The person who briefed Senator Quinn and me most extensively on this matter was Mr. Cormac Rabbitte, a very brilliant transport engineer, and he has not given up. In the past few days, I received an update on metro Dublin development, and they are making a pre-application to An Bord Pleanála under the Railways Act. I very much hope the Government will examine it, given that it seems to fit in very well with the partial plan the Government already has and would provide Dublin with an extensive and comprehensive metro service, which would be very welcome.

We are the only European capital that has no underground, and it would be the answer to so many of our transport problems. Dublin is messing around with cycle lanes and banning cars. I had to go all the way around the world to get here today because College Green is closed except to buses. It is lunatic. Shortly, I will be imprisoned in my house in North Great George's Street unable to get out with the car. An underground which would bring me here would be a great personal benefit to me but also to the city and the country.

I was somewhat amused to read about the Minister of State, Deputy Dara Murphy and his taxi. It is the greatest load of rubbish I have ever heard in my life. A Minister of State was driving in a car to the airport to make a political appointment in Brussels, or wherever it was. The car broke down, and he talked to a taxi driver. There is some kind of confusion about it, and the fare was very large - €350, which I would not be mad about paying. Gardaí were contacted about the failure of the car and they offered to drive him to the airport. Perfectly right. They are servants of the State, and if there was no demand for their services in the local area it was appropriate for them to ensure the Minister of State got to his appointment on time. I salute the gardaí for their correct action and I deplore the tittle tattle in the media about it. It was a perfectly appropriate use of State resources.