Jack Wall (Kildare South, Labour)
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Question 67: To ask the Minister for Transport the projects, including the roads and public transport projects which contributed to the €100 million underspend in 2005; the amount each individual project contributed to this total; and the impact of this underspend on delivering infrastructure projects on time. [35910/05]

Martin Cullen (Waterford, Fianna Fail)
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The estimated carryover of up to €100 million in capital funding for transport projects from 2005 to 2006, which amounts to approximately 6% of the total capital invested in transport projects in 2005, is attributable to less than anticipated expenditure on the national roads programme due to delays in concluding land deals, delays in the tendering processes for projects and delays on projects such as the Waterford city by-pass and Clonee-Kells on the M3. It is not possible at this stage to assign specific amounts to individual projects. The delays reflect timing issues and the challenges associated with managing contingency provisions in a complete multi-annual programme. As the multi-annual capital envelope process is in use it is not expected that there will be a significant impact on the delivery of the programme.

Joe Sherlock (Cork East, Labour)
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Question 68: To ask the Minister for Transport when he expects to have legislation passed and commenced providing for an increase in bus licensing fees. [35899/05]

Martin Cullen (Waterford, Fianna Fail)
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I refer the Deputy to my previous replies to Questions Nos. 228 on Thursday, 27 October 2005, and 316 on Wednesday, 9 November 2005. It is my intention to bring forward proposals for increasing bus licence fees in the new year.

Dan Neville (Limerick West, Fine Gael)
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Question 70: To ask the Minister for Transport if proposals to construct a metro line from Shananagh to the city centre have not been dropped completely; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [36028/05]

Martin Cullen (Waterford, Fianna Fail)
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Plans to upgrade the Luas line from St. Stephen's Green to Bray to metro have not been dropped. Transport 21 provides for feasibility studies for this and other projects. While Transport 21 involves a substantial commitment of financial resources, those resources are finite. It has therefore been necessary to prioritise the investments to be made over the ten year period.

Luas line B1, one of the first projects to be rolled out in the implementation of Transport 21, involves a 7.5 km extension to the Luas green line southwards from Sandyford to Cherrywood. Transport 21 also provides for the extension of the Luas line from Cherrywood to Bray by 2015. These extensions will be implemented having regard to the continuing strategic objective of upgrading the line to metro in due course.