Vol. 559 No. 6
6 Mr. Eamon Ryan asked the Taoiseach the total number of his Department's car parking spaces, for both staff and visitors, located within Dublin city centre, from the Grand Canal on the south side to the Royal Canal on the north side with Heuston station and the Phoenix Park being the extent of the western boundary. [26330/02]
There are 40 spaces allocated to staff of my Department. These are in the forecourt of Government Buildings and at a smaller site at the rear of Merrion Square. There are also three dedicated visitor spaces and one space for disabled persons in the forecourt of Government Buildings. Arrangements are made for additional parking facilities in the forecourt for visitors when required.
I constantly try to understand why in this country we spend six times as much capital expenditure on roads as we do on public transport. We spend two and a half times on roads what we spend on either education or health. I do not understand why. Transport economists say that we should invest in public transport and people in the street also realise that we should invest in public transport but we singularly fail to do so. The only explanation—
The question is very specific about car parking spaces in the Department of the Taoiseach.
I will come to the question. The people who make decisions in this society are each given a car parking space right outside the front door.
I will have to ask you to resume your seat, Deputy, if you do not deal specifically with the question which you asked. You are going too far outside it.
The provision of car parking spaces to those who make decisions in our society is responsible for the six to one ratio of expenditure on roads to public transport.
That does not arise out of this question.
It does.
The Deputy is probably aware that there are proposals to take away all the car parking spaces for my Department and then the Deputy should be happy. We are spending €650 million on the Luas system. We have spent enormous amounts of money on the rail carriages and updating the entire bus network.
The Government is closing rail lines.
We are not.
The only rail lines being looked at are a few that are very little used. The Deputy wants them to be kept for the purposes of historical record. Rail lines which are used by about 11 people a week cannot be kept open. The Deputy should cop on to himself.
There is six times the spend on roads.
