Michael McDowell (Independent)
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The Eastern and Midland Regional Assembly, which includes Dublin, has made proposals on the regional spatial and economic strategy for 2019 to 2031, which is a 12-year strategy to consider and make provision for the extension of the MetroLink south to the Rathfarnham, Churchtown and Knocklyon direction on one arm and the UCD and Stillorgan direction on the other. I echo what Senator Boyhan said, that the Minister, Deputy Eoghan Murphy, should be here today. He is in the House. When I left the self-service restaurant to come here he was there so I cannot understand why he cannot be here to deal with this matter personally.

The Minister has advertised his intention to conduct a public consultation on amending the spatial strategy document to delete all reference to any alternative route for the southern end of the metro system. The result of this is that what the Taoiseach, Deputy Varadkar, said about being open to persuasion on this matter is being quietly shelved and a decision is being made to cannibalise the green Luas line and incorporate it eventually into the metro system.

The House knows, because I have mentioned it previously, that the consequence of doing this is the green Luas line would be out of operation for two years while these works are carried out. This is a matter of great importance for the south Dublin region. It is very unfortunate that the Eastern and Midland Regional Assembly, which is a democratic body of local representatives, has made an amendment to make provision for the options the Taoiseach has said are open to the Government to pursue but now it has become apparent that the Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport, led by the Minister, Deputy Ross, has requested the Minister, Deputy Eoghan Murphy, to make an order deleting all references to alternative routes in the spatial strategy. In effect, this means the Minister, Deputy Ross, has asked the Minister, Deputy Eoghan Murphy, to end all possibilities of alternative routes for the southern end of the MetroLink system. The consequence of this is that the Minister, under section 31A of the relevant planning Act, has the power to make a direction telling the regional assembly to amend its spatial strategy to conform with what is now emerging as the preferred strategy of the Minister, Deputy Ross, which is the green line cannibalisation scheme and the two-year delay implicit eventually in pursuing that scheme.

We are now in a situation whereby the Minister, Deputy Eoghan Murphy, has started a procedure. He has put advertisements in the newspapers indicating he intends to consider ending any possibility of these alternative routes by making a direction under a statutory power. I acknowledge the presence of the Minister of State while complaining about the absence of the senior Minister. My information is the Minister has a draft order before him. He has had correspondence with the National Transport Authority, the Office of the Planning Regulator and the Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport. The Minister should make a clear statement. Has he yet made the order in question? Does he intend to do so? When is he likely to make this order? Will he publicly state the effect of making this order is that what the Taoiseach has said about the possibility of pursuing alternative routes will be brought to an end?

Jim Daly (Cork South West, Fine Gael)
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I thank the Senator for raising this matter and allowing me to clarify the position on extensions to planned metro projects within the regional spatial economic strategy for the Eastern and Midland Regional Assembly.

The completion of the construction of MetroLink from Swords to Sandyford was identified among the key transport infrastructure investments in the regional spatial economic strategy. At material amendment stage, the members of the assembly included the additional undergrounding of extensions to UCD and Knocklyon from Charlemont, which effectively adds an additional two metro lines to the project. The regional spatial economic strategy never proposed the extension of the metro to the Rathfarnham and Churchtown areas.

The consideration of the regional spatial economic strategy by the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government has been framed in the context of Project Ireland 2040 and the statutory requirement for the Eastern and Midland Regional Assembly regional spatial economic strategy to be consistent with the transport strategy for the greater Dublin area, which provides the statutory framework for the planning and delivery of transport infrastructure for the region and with associated funding included in the national development plan.

Following this consideration, the Minister gave notice on 7 August 2019 to the Eastern and Midland Regional Assembly that he intended to issue a direction under section 31A of the Planning and Development Act 2000 on objectives in the regional spatial economic strategy that identified additional rail, metro and Luas infrastructure, which went beyond the scope of the National Transport Authority's transport strategy for the greater Dublin area for 2016 to 2035, the National Planning Framework 2040 and the National Development Plan 2018-2027.

In reaching this position, the Minister took account of advice from the Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport in July 2019 that the regional spatial economic strategy contains references to projects that are not consistent with the national planning framework, the national development plan and-or the greater Dublin area transport strategy. There was also a strong recommendation, also made in July 2019, from the NTA for the issuance of direction to the Eastern and Midland Regional Assembly to remove, among other items, the reference of the metro extension to Knocklyon and UCD. There was also advice from the Office of the Planning Regulator.

The draft ministerial direction was the subject of public consultation from 20 August 2019 to 2 September 2019, following which the Minister, on the 11 October, appointed an inspector to carry out an independent review. This has now been received. Following consideration of this review, the Minister will decide either to extend the period for consideration or issue the direction as per the draft or with amendments by 9 December 2019.

I understand that a review of the greater Dublin area transport strategy will commence next year and will incorporate a re-examination of travel demand across the greater Dublin area based on the most recent forecasts of population and employment distribution. It would be more appropriate at this point, and through this process, that the requirement for additional rail lines, or for expediting certain elements of the greater Dublin area transport strategy, are identified and considered.

Michael McDowell (Independent)
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I am deeply disappointed with the answer given by the Minister of State. The Government is speaking with a forked tongue on this issue. The Taoiseach says he is open to persuasion on other routes. The proposal to extend the metro to Sandyford was stated to be something that would not be required for the next 20 years but now it appears the Government is quietly going back to its original proposal, which is to cannibalise the green line and exclude all other possibilities. I want to make it very clear that if the metro is extended to incorporate the green Luas line as far as Sandyford it will entail closing the line for two years and replacing one piece of infrastructure that is working, and with extended tram sets will work more efficiently, while ignoring the possibility of giving other suburbs in Dublin, such as UCD, Belfield, St. Vincent's University Hospital, Churchtown, Rathfarnham and Knocklyon any decent public transport system, which is wholly absent. Whereas I recognise the Minister of State has informed the House today that a decision will be made by 9 December, this has been an exercise in kicking the can down the road. The Taoiseach has said he is open to persuasion on these matters but this process is going to culminate on 9 December. It is deceiving the people as to the Government's real intentions.