John Bruton
Ceist:5 Mr. J. Bruton asked the Taoiseach the cost to his Department of his attendance at the opening of Drumcondra railway station on 2 March 1998. [6273/98]
Ceisteanna—Questions. - Departmental Costs.
The only cost to my Department in respect of the opening of Drumcondra railway station on 2 March 1998 was a taxi fare of £7.50 for a member of the Government press secretariat.
Why did he not travel by rail?
The Deputy is running out of questions.
I tabled the question to ascertain the position in regard to the rail service.
Why did the Deputy not table a question on that matter?
It would have been transferred to another Department. I am interested to know the Taoiseach's commitment to this matter. The commitment of the Taoiseach is crucial in so far as traffic policy, which is a multi-departmental matter, is concerned.
Will he indicate when a decision will be taken on where the Luas will go? Will he agree that the delay in regard to Luas is becoming a matter of grave concern to many people in terms of the possible loss of EU funds if a decision is not made soon?
That question is different from the one raised in Question No. 5.
It is an esoteric question.
It is not an esoteric question, it is a very real one.
The question may be real but it is not relevant.
Anyone who has experience of the traffic jams in this city will not regard this as a matter for mirth.
The question is a matter for mirth.
There is a serious problem with traffic in this city, largely because public transport has been run down over the years because of a lack of support by successive Governments.
This matter is different from the one raised in Question No. 5.
Will the Taoiseach make a statement in the House on the Government's plans to provide an adequate rail service in Dublin, incorporating and integrating Luas with the rail service?
The Deputy is out of order on this matter. We will proceed to Question No. 6.
The Deputy is looking for the receipt.
The Taoiseach is willing to reply to my question.
He would be out of order in answering it.
Will you agree, Sir, that this rail station is part of an integrated programme for rail development in Dublin? This is the only question I could table to the Taoiseach——
Question No. 5 is very specific and asks the cost to the Taoiseach's Department of his attendance at the opening of the railway station.
I know that and it is normal that a supplementary question——
The Deputy's supplementary question is not relevant to this matter.
The petrol was unleaded and environmentally friendly.
I hope the Ceann Comhairle will take a sufficiently rigorous view of all other questions raised. It is obvious the Taoiseach is willing to answer my question. I do not wish to detain the House unduly but I want to ask the head of the Government to indicate the position on a matter which is interdepartmental in so far as it involves a number of Departments. A decision will not be taken on Luas or the rail link to Dublin Airport without a commitment by the Taoiseach to have all the relevant Departments involved.
The Deputy should table a question on the matter.
What are the Government's plans on an integrated programme for rail development in Dublin?
As I have already stated, that question is not relevant to the one on the Order Paper.
It is.
The question on the Order Paper is very specific.
It relates to a visit to a railway station which is part of an integrated programme. It is the only question I could table on the matter as under the rules of the House, which I understand——
The Deputy got a full answer to his question.
The Deputy should resume his seat.
The Chair is not being particularly accommodating to me on this occasion.
The Chair accommodates Deputies but not to the extent the Deputy wishes.
The Taoiseach is willing to reply to my question.
One does not fly to Brussels via Timbuktu.
I wish, a Cheann Comhairle——
I have ruled that the supplementary question is out of order.
It is not. It is a normal supplementary question.
It is not.
The question on the Order Paper is very specific and does not give the Deputy freedom to raise supplementaries of this kind.
While the Taoiseach was entitled to credit for the opening of Drumcondra station, will he agree that others were also entitled to some credit and that, regardless of the cost to his Department, it would have been appropriate to have invited them to the opening of the station? When will the double line to Maynooth be completed? Regardless of the cost, we will invite him to the opening of the line.
The question relates to the Drumcondra station only.
They could have shared a taxi.
Will the Taoiseach accept that his attendance at Drumcondra railway station on 2 March was symbolic of his support for an integrated transport system for Dublin?
I call Question No. 6.
Has the Taoiseach no sense of humour at all?
We have had enough laughs out of it.
The people waiting in traffic jams are not laughing.