I want to raise a point in relation to the facilities for Deputies and Senators who come here by car. Let me say, first of all, that the position in the city of Dublin generally for the parking of cars is, to say the least of it, most unsatisfactory. It is quite clear that those who will be erecting new buildings in the future will have imposed on them, of necessity, under the town planning or some similar code, a requirement that they provide proper car parking facilities for the personnel of the new office buildings.
As legislators, it is our duty to show a good example in that respect. It was, to say the least of it, unfortunate that the plans of the new building going up at the back of this building, did not provide for proper car-parking facilities. I must say that the blame for that does not rest merely with the Government who produced the plans for it, but rests also on those of us who saw the plans because they constituted a House matter and did not draw attention to the matter then. We have a duty to ensure that we show a good example in this respect and therefore we should have so provided.
Be that as it may, and be the difficulties as they may outside in the city of Dublin in respect of car-parking facilities, it is without question quite incontrovertible that the car-parking facilities in the forecourt of Leinster House are chaotic. If a Deputy or Senator happens to come in early and during the course of the day wants to go to one of the far away Government Departments in connection with his business, say, to the Custom House to the Department of Local Government or the Department of Health, to Marlborough Street, to the Department of Education or to Parkgate Street to the Department of Defence, it is impossible for him to get his car out without first manhandling two or three cars which came in later. That means that those Deputies whose cars are in the front rows must leave their cars unlocked, of necessity, because if they lock them, they will prevent the people who are in the inside rows from getting out. That is quite unsatisfactory because very often Deputies have private and confidential papers in their cars and they prefer to keep them locked.
The situation has got much worse lately and on days when the Seanad is sitting as well as this House, anyone can go out and see for himself the chaos that exists. I want to make it quite clear that I am not suggesting in any way that we should have facilities which are not available to other people outside but, while there is a duty on us to see that we do not get unnecessary and undesirable luxuries for ourselves, there is equally a duty on us to see that we have facilities whereby we can carry on the duties for which we were sent here. That is not at present the case. I think the forecourt of this building could be better utilised by having some kind of underground park which would help to keep Deputies' cars out of Kildare Street. A subterranean car park of some sort in the forecourt would help to preserve the dignity and beauty of the facade of Leinster House and, at the same time, provide the facilities which we need so badly.
All of us will agree that we should do everything in our power to preserve the facade of the forecourt which is one of the most beautiful vistas in Dublin. Equally it would be unthinkable that the back lawn of Leinster House would be in any way impaired by having cars cluttered up all over it. However, there will have to be some method discovered which will take members' cars off the streets and enable members who come in early to go out again and carry on their business with Government Departments.
