Lisa Chambers (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I will make a final plea. When looking at the rail network map for the country, an entire region - the west and north west - does not feature. County Donegal has no rail link, County Monaghan has no rail link and the service to County Mayo is fairly limited, yet we have emissions reduction targets in transport of 75%. That will not be achievable if we do not connect one third of the country by rail link.

As to the requirement of ministerial approval from Northern Ireland, the message needs to get back to the Minister for Transport that he needs to go back to the drawing board on this matter. It is unacceptable that we in the Republic would be constrained because of the lack of an Execute in Northern Ireland. That will not wash with the people of the west and north west.