Mary Fitzpatrick (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I commend all my colleagues who have spoken on International Women's Day today. I wish everybody well on the day. I wish to particularly commend our male colleagues who have joined in the celebration with such enthusiasm and sincere interest and commitment to raising the issue of equality. I look forward to speaking on International Women's Day later today.

I wish to draw attention to the fact that the period for public consultation on the report commissioned by the Minister of State, Deputy O'Donovan, on the Phoenix Park transport and mobility options is drawing to a close. The deadline is this coming Friday. The Phoenix Park is almost 360 years old. I was lucky enough to grow up beside it. It is an amazing public resource in the heart of our city, comprising more than 1,700 acres. One can walk, cycle, skate, picnic or play Gaelic games, polo or cricket or do whatever one wishes to do there. One can enjoy the biodiversity, including the wild fallow deer. It is an amazing amenity.

A steering committee was set up by the Minister of State, involving the National Transport Authority, Dublin City Council, the Office of Public Works, OPW, and Fingal County Council. I was really disappointed by, and quite critical of, the fact that it did not include local residents. There has now been almost six weeks of public consultation. It has been particularly difficult for residents to engage in that process as a result of Covid which, to be fair to the OPW, has also prevented it from holding public meetings. The deadline is this coming Friday and there are important proposals and suggestions being made, including prioritising pedestrians, prioritising space for cyclists, reducing commuter traffic, restricting access through the Cabra, Ashtown and Knockmaroon gates and introducing a public bus service for the first time to connect Heuston Station with Dublin Zoo, the Ashtown visitor centre and all the way to Broombridge Station in Cabra. There is a lot in the proposals. The deadline is this Friday. I encourage everybody to have their say, particularly as this is a park not just of local importance or importance to the city, but for the whole country and, indeed, for international visitors.