Dáil Éireann debate -
Thursday, 19 May 2005

Vol. 602 No. 6

Public Transport.

Mr. S. Ryan

The lack of public transport is one of the major issues that affects the people in my constituency and beyond. There is a need to increase the capacity on the northern line and provide a rail link or metro to Dublin Airport and Swords.

Dublin is the only European capital without a direct rail network to its main airport. In view of this, and given the projected population increase to the airport and other related traffic issues, it is imperative that the metro line proposal be included in the Minister's ten year transport plans being finalised at present.

I hear on the grapevine that the extension of the metro to Swords will not be included in phase one. Such a decision would be a disaster and commuters bringing their cars to Dublin Airport to access the metro to the city centre would infinitely worsen the already chaotic situation. It would be impossible to get to or from the airport and the area would become gridlocked. Neither would it make economic sense as a successful metro requires a viable adjacent catchment area. Such an area is available in Swords, which now has a population of 30,000 people. It is estimated that the cost of the extension to Swords would be approximately €300 million. Fingal Country Council could come up with €150 million through development levies and available detailed proposals outline stations at Airside, Pavillions, Seatown, Fingallions, Lissenhall and park and ride facilities. It would be a monumental disaster if the Government decides not to proceed with the metro or extend it to Swords.

Significant development is taking place along the rail network from Balbriggan, Skerries, Lusk and Rush, Donabate, Malahide and Portmarnock on the clear understanding that necessary public transport infrastructures will be in place. Unfortunately that is not the case. We appreciate that Irish Rail was in a position to increase the capacity at morning and evening peak periods by almost 40% last year due to the lengthening of the Arrow trains from six to eight carriages. The situation is once again reaching crisis proportions with no real improvements pending until 2009 at the earliest depending on whether the Government gets its act together which it has not done to date.

I read with interest views expressed by my constituency colleagues, Deputies Sargent and Glennon. It is imperative that elected members be up-front and honest with their electorate. Deputy Glennon calls on the Minister for Transport, Deputy Cullen, to commit to the extension of the DART to north Fingal no later than the end of 2006. Deputy Sargent recommends that the proposed metro be extended from Swords to Donabate. Both of these objectives are laudable and can hopefully be implemented in the long term. Hard pressed and stressed rail commuters deserve better. Regardless of the long-term objectives of these promises, they would not provide one additional seat for commuters in the short term.

The existing rail network has severe limitations that affect the capacity to extend the service. There is one line to the city centre. The cross line from Connolly to Pearse stations is operating at full capacity with 12 trains per hour. It is therefore not possible to provide more frequent services at peak periods. The DART upgrade project, which involves the upgrading of signalling in the city centre, will result in an increase in the number of trains from 12 to 16 per hour, whenever that comes about. However, that will only provide one additional train on the northern route, which is insufficient.

All the reports available to me indicate that the only way forward is the construction of a new station at the docklands, which in any event will be part of Iarnród Éireann's exciting proposals for an interconnector. This new station would initially be linked to the Maynooth-Kildare line and thus provide additional much needed capacity through Connolly Station for the northern route and the DART to Malahide and Howth.

I am not satisfied that the Minister and the Government have given this matter the priority it requires. During the debate on the Estimates, the Minister for Transport said he was providing €5 million this year for this project. That is a miserly and unacceptable response from the Minister to the needs of the commuting population of greater Dublin, many of whom have bought houses and transferred to new locations on the basis of public transport being available. We need action, not press releases. The Minister should do his job and provide the needs for the people of the greater Dublin area.

Minister of State at the Department of Transport (Mr. Callely)

I thank Deputy Seán Ryan for raising this matter. He asked me to take action. The House will appreciate that I am a man who does not need to be asked or encouraged to take action; it comes naturally to me.

I am aware of Deputy Ryan's concern about the issue he raised. Deputies Sargent, Wright and Glennon have also raised the issue of the metro for north Dublin. I am delighted to respond positively to this debate as a "Dub", a public representative for the constituency of Dublin North-Central and also as Minister of State for transport. I fully accept the need to provide a metro line and a new Dublin docklands rail station. I assure Deputy Ryan that I am fighting hard, and I believe he knows that, for both these projects and I am confident that during my watch real progress will be made on the metro and the Dublin docklands rail station. I am not stopping at that, however, if Deputies will excuse the pun. There will be other improvements in public transport services in the north Dublin region.

Deputy Ryan referred to the Minister for Finance's contribution to the budget debate. In fairness, the Deputy must acknowledge and give due credit to the Minister, Deputy Cowen. For the first time a Minister for Finance gave the Department of Transport a ten-year envelope which will allow us go about the planning of what are deemed to be long-term projects, whether it is the metro we will deliver on, the Dublin Port tunnel or the tremendous carriageways and dual carriageways we are building throughout the country. There are long lead-in times for these projects and the ten-year envelope will give us great scope in that regard.

The programme for Government contains a commitment to develop the metro for Dublin. The Railway Procurement Agency has submitted to my Department a detailed case for phase one of the metro, which would be procured on a public private partnership basis. The RPA has proposed that phase one would run from St. Stephen's Green to the airport in approximately 17 minutes. It would serve key areas such as Trinity College, the Mater Hospital, Ballymun and DCU and an extension to Swords is under consideration.

It is estimated that phase one would carry about 24 million passengers per annum, rising to about 50 million over time. It will provide a new rail commuter corridor through north Dublin in areas not served by rail and would be a significant step in the creation of integrated public transport for Dublin, which is a reflection of Fianna Fáil policy on transport for Dublin. The cost of phase one of the metro will be met by the Exchequer through an annual availability payment over a 26-year period commencing when construction is complete. While value for money for the State will remain a central consideration, the cost of the metro ultimately will be determined by market forces through a competitive tendering process.

By way of giving information to the House, I recently made an interesting visit to Munich, some of which was covered by the media, and an aspect I examined there was the metro and the costs associated with that. I was greatly impressed with what I learned and saw in Munich.

A business case has been submitted to my Department by Iarnród Éireann for the development of a greater Dublin integrated rail network, which is also required, aimed at meeting the projected demand for rail services into the future. Included in the business case are proposals to construct a new rail station in the city centre area; provide an interconnector tunnel linking the existing rail network and serving the Dublin docklands; provide a spur off the Maynooth line to the N3 beyond Dunboyne; and expand the capacity of the DART.

The Government is considering the metro, the Iarnród Éireann plan and all other proposals for the development of the transport system in the context of a national ten-year transport investment framework that will propose an integrated solution to the transport challenges facing greater Dublin and the country as a whole.

An Ceann Comhairle

The Minister of State should conclude.

Mr. Callely

It is not possible to outline the specifics of all that is being considered by Government but I am delighted to tell the House that the plan will provide for the transformation of the transport system in greater Dublin with a particular focus on public transport. I assure the House it will be a new transport system for the greater Dublin area in respect of road and rail interconnectors, Luas and the metro.

An Ceann Comhairle

I ask the Minister of State to conclude. In fairness to Deputies, Ministers should not go on beyond the time allocated. I call Deputy Wall.

Mr. Callely

I assure Deputy Ryan that the transport needs of north County Dublin will be fully addressed within the policy and planning framework.

Sugar Beet Sector.

Mr. Wall

I thank the Ceann Comhairle for allowing me to raise this matter and the Minister of State for taking it. There is grave concern in the Leinster area about the beet quota and the problems growers envisage in the coming harvesting season. Sowing of the seedlings was delayed because of a lack of commitment in regard to Greencore and the process of preparing the harvest has been of concern to those farmers who have earned a living from beet harvesting over the years.

There is a major problem in respect of transport in that none of the depots promised have come on stream. Last February or March, the Minister for Agriculture and Food said that one of her priorities would be to ensure that the transport issue was dealt with as a matter of urgency. That has not happened to date and no planning application has been submitted to any local authority in the general area. There were talks of one in Carlow and Portlaoise and the possible upgrading of another in Wellingtonbridge in Wexford, but none of that has happened.

The start date for the campaign is 19 September, but nothing has happened to date. If we consider the delays in the planning process, nothing will happen in time for the forthcoming beet harvest. If that happens, we will face major problems in that the farmers will attempt to access the factory in Mallow by truck from the Leinster area because no other means are available to them. No capital costs will have been made available to obtain additional wagons. Those available will only be able to deal with the Wexford area campaign and all the beet from north Leinster will have to be transported by truck. It is of major concern to the farming community that 70% of the harvest will have to travel by road, and we can all imagine what will happen in that regard.

The concern of the community is that Greencore is dragging its heels on this matter until after 22 June when the reforms will be announced by the European Commission. There is talk on the grapevine of proposals to buy out the quotas of the members on the periphery of the community. One could assume that is one of the reasons planning applications have not been made and no beet seedlings were released in time to plant early to ensure a good crop. The later the seedlings are put down, the worse the crop will be. The farming community has major concerns about the future of the beet harvest, especially in the Leinster area, because of the lack of commitment of Greencore. The one commitment the Minister for Agriculture and Food gave was that the transport matter would be resolved at the earliest opportunity, but no progress has been made.

The overall picture is bleak and seems to involve holding back until reforms come from the Commission on 22 June. One wonders where we stand on the sugar quota. The Government always talks about the golden share but it seems to be disappearing rapidly. It is no longer a question of retaining the sugar quota or maintaining a crop and an industry that has been beneficial not only to the farming community but also to the areas where it is grown, the employees of the factories in Carlow and Mallow and subsidiary industries. I hope the Minister for State and the Minister for Agriculture can give some indication as to where we will go with this and what will happen at the European Commission on 22 June.

Minister of State at the Department of Agriculture and Food (Mr. B. Smith)

I thank Deputy Wall for raising this issue. I am aware of the concerns that were expressed following the closure of Carlow sugar factory in March about transport arrangements for the delivery of sugar beet to Mallow. The transport issue is one to be resolved between Irish Sugar Limited and the beet growers and I have no function that regard. I understand the two parties have been working constructively on this and other issues and I am satisfied they can devise satisfactory arrangements to deal with the new situation. The company has already announced plans for a new rail depot to assist beet growers to make their deliveries.

The European Commission recently signalled its intention to publish the formal legislative proposals for reform of the European Union sugar regime on 22 June. The Commission's initial ideas for reform as outlined in its communication of last July would, if adopted, have serious consequences for sugar beet growing and processing in this country and the Minister has made it abundantly clear in discussions in the Council of Ministers that proposals on those lines are unacceptable. Ireland is not alone in this regard. We are in a group of ten member states with shared concerns about the Commission's initial proposals and we made a joint ministerial submission to the Commission in this regard.

In our view, the aim should be to maintain the existing distribution of sugar beet and sugar production in the entire EU territory. We believe that reform should be based on the following principles: an import system from third countries which will ensure predictable and regular import quantities and it is important to remember that the poorest sugar-producing countries want an arrangement like this rather than the race to the bottom in price terms that totally free access would bring; the price reduction should be significantly less than that proposed and should be implemented more gradually; the impact of the quota reductions should fall mainly on "C" production; and transfers of quotas among member states should not be allowed.

It is generally acknowledged that reform of the sugar regime is now unavoidable for a number of reasons, in particular the developments at World Trade Organisation level and other international pressures. The recent ruling by the WTO appellate body will certainly add to the pressure for reform and there have been suggestions that when the reform proposals emerge, they may be even more severe than originally anticipated. Therefore, we do not underestimate the scale of the challenge facing us when the reform proposals come before the Council of Ministers in the autumn. Ireland's primary objective in the forthcoming negotiations will be to ensure that the future shape of the European Union sugar regime is consistent with the continuation of an efficient sugar beet growing and processing industry in this country.

The Dáil adjourned at 5.15 p.m. until 2.30 p.m. on Tuesday, 24 May 2005.