Private Members' Business. - Public Transport: Motion (Resumed).
The following motion was moved by Deputy Jim Higgins on Tuesday, 22 November 2000:
That Dáil Éireann, deploring the worsening chaos across all sectors of public transport arising from:
–the failure to provide an adequate number of taxis in Dublin;
–the failure to introduce bus competition;
–the failure to introduce the long promised integrated ticketing;
–the failure to provide adequate late night bus services;
–the failure to deliver the full complement of quality bus corridors in Dublin;
–the failure to introduce long promised park and ride facilities;
–the failure to construct the ready to roll Luas which the Government inherited from the rainbow Government;
–the failure to bring into service the new DART carriages;
–the failure to provide a satisfactory standard of customer service at Dublin Airport;
–the failure to resolve any of the five separate industrial disputes within Aer Lingus which continue to cause ongoing disruption for the travelling public;
–the failure to resolve any of the industrial disputes in Iarnród Éireann which continue to cause ongoing inconvenience to the travelling public;
–the failure to monitor rail safety programmes in Iarnród Éireann which has given rise to a cost overrun of £25 million on the mini CTC signalling system and the suspension of work on 28 stations;
condemns the Taoiseach, the Minister for Public Enterprise and the Minister of State at the Department of the Environment and Local Government for their inability to oversee and guarantee an efficient public transport system.
Debate resumed on amendment No. 1:
To delete all words after "Dáil Éireann" and substitute the following:
"(I) commends the Government for its continuing commitment to public transport and in particular:
–welcomes the unprecedented level of Exchequer support for public transport in the 2001 Estimates, with £159 million in revenue support for public transport services and £281 million for capital investment;
–notes that Bus Átha Cliath will launch a much expanded and enhanced Nitelink service at end of November;
–notes that, with Exchequer and EU sup port, over 500 new buses will have been acquired by Bus Átha Cliath and Bus Éireann in the period 1999-2000;
–notes that 26 new DART cars and 20 diesel railcars have been delivered and are entering into service as they are commissioned and that a further 12 DART cars and 60 diesel railcars are on order for delivery in 2002-03;
–notes that construction of Luas is well under way and on target for the commencement of services by end 2002;
–notes that four quality bus corridors are in successful operation and that construction work on a further four is nearing completion;
–notes that 2,000 additional park and ride places have been provided at suburban rail stations;
–notes that a report on the implementation of integrated ticketing in Dublin has now been published by the Minister for Public Enterprise;
–notes the preliminary planning work is already under way in relation to the development of the metro approved by Government in July;
(II) welcomes the publication in October of the Dublin Transportation Office's far-sighted transportation strategy for 2000 to 2016 – A Platform for Change;
(III) welcomes the publication in September of the first major public transport reform proposals in 50 years in the Government's consultation paper A New Institutional and Regulatory Framework for Public Transport;
(IV) notes that decisions to grant 12 new licences to private bus operators in the greater Dublin area were announced in July and that revised, more liberal licensing guidelines and a licensing round will be announced in December;
(V) notes that more Dublin taxi licences have already been issued under this Government than under that of any other Government for over 20 years;
(VI) notes the initiative of the Government for a doubling of Dublin taxi numbers and its commitment, following the recent High Court determination, urgently to restore a workable basis for new taxi licensing in order to satisfy public demand;
(VII) notes that a sub-committee of the Joint Committee on Public Enterprise and Transport will carry out a review of the mini CTC signalling project;
(VIII) endorses the measures taken by the Minister for Public Enterprise to address the congestion difficulties experienced at Dublin airport this summer season;
(IX) endorses the call made by the Minister for Public Enterprise on both the management and unions in Aer Lingus to engage urgently with the State's industrial relations agencies in order to resolve the disputes within the company;
(X) notes the progress made in the DART dispute over last weekend."
–(Minister for Public Enterprise.)
Traffic and transport in Dublin and other areas is bad at the worst of times, but now almost every second day transport services and traffic in cities is disrupted directly as a result of the Government's mishandling and mismanagement of the transport and traffic situation. Today mainline trains are not running after a summer and autumn of repeated disruption of rail services, while traffic in Dublin is in chaos because of the action taken by taxi drivers following the announcement by the Minister of State, Deputy Molloy, last night.
We have all known that the taxi situation in Dublin has been bad for many years. However, few people could have believed that the Government could have made it worse. Yet this is exactly what has happened. This is the fourth Christmas the Government has been in office. It will also be the fourth successive year in which the people of Dublin will be without an adequate taxi service. Worse still, while there has been a totally inadequate service during the past three years, the real fear now is that the anger of taxi drivers is so great that there will be an even worse taxi service for the public this Christmas.
We now have the situation where not only are there no taxis today, but the entire city has been brought to a halt, the airport has been virtually inaccessible, commuters have faced journeys of up to many hours to simply get home from work, people cannot go out tonight because they do not know if they have a means of getting home, people who had planned to travel abroad have had to cancel their flights because they do not know if they will be permitted to enter the airport, people planning to come home from abroad for business and tourism are cancelling their journeys because they cannot be sure of getting out of the airport. The situation threatens to get worse. Today we heard angry taxi drivers talk about all-out strikes and threats to block ports and bus stations.
We all agree that we have to uphold the right of all citizens to move freely through the city and country. The handling of this difficult situation has been incompetent and inept. The principal element of the announcement by the Minister of State, Deputy Molloy, last night regarding the provision for an increase in the number of taxis was a positive development, but the manner in which it was done had all the hallmarks of this disastrous Government. Part of the problem is that taxi drivers understandably feel an intense sense of betrayal by Fianna Fáil. In Opposition Fianna Fáil promised to protect the interests of taxi drivers. Many of them accepted that and some of them pinned their political colours to the Fianna Fáil mast during the last general election. There is now genuine anger among taxi drivers at what they see as a betrayal, not just by the Taoiseach but also by Deputy Callely, Deputy Noel Ahern and others who were glad to accept political support from the taxi drivers in 1997 but who have now effectively let down taxi drivers by their inability and failure to deliver to them.
Up to as recently as a few days ago representatives of the taxi industry were getting a message from those close to the Taoiseach that was directly contrary to what the Minister of State, Deputy Molloy, planned to do. They were misled right up to the moment of betrayal. If the Government is so wedded to the principle of social partnership, why was there no advance consultation with the representative organisations? Why was no attempt made to properly prepare a package in advance? Why did the Minister of State, Deputy Molloy, give the House so little information as to the promised tax package? Surely the Government, in deciding what was going to be done about the taxi situation, must have decided the general outline of what it intended to do with regard to the compensatory package to which the Minister of State referred last night.
The Labour Party acknowledges and believes that the individual taxi driver who remortgaged his home or committed the redundancy money he got when he lost his job for the purchase of a single taxi plate now has a legitimate grievance following the effective deregulation of the taxi business. The Minister of State, Deputy Molloy, partly acknowledged this in the House last night by promising tax relief in the next Finance Bill. However, we know that the Finance Bill will not be published until after the budget, probably sometime after Christmas.
Taxi drivers have the right to know the details of what the Government intends to do. It is not sufficient to make some kind of a general, vague promise that something will be done at some point in the future. This needs to be spelled out. The Minister or a representative of the Government should come into the House tonight and tell us and, through us, the taxi drivers and their representative organisations what this package is supposed to contain. They have a right to that information and they need to know it. If they do not get this information there is every danger of continuing disruption of traffic and the taxi service in Dublin so that this Christmas we will end up with the worst of both worlds where, on the one hand, there is a promised reorganisation of taxi services while, on the other, there is such a degree of opposition to, and dissatisfaction with, the package by the taxi industry that we may end up with fewer taxis on the streets than in previous years. The very minimum required – this should not be postponed until budget day or publication of the Finance Bill – is for the details of whatever package the Government has in mind to be spelled out to the representative organisations and discussions and consultation held with them.
The Minister was on the news tonight.
He is better at appearing on the news than he is at coming into the House to explain his actions. He is a day late because these discussions should have taken place before any announcement was made last night. This is the third attempt by the Minister to deal with the taxi problem in Dublin. However, each successive effort has, in practice, made the situation worse.
I wish to refer to the DART system. For some time we have been hearing promises from Ministers that additional DART carriages are about to appear. I do not know where those carriages are or what garage they are stored in, but they are certainly not on the line. Every morning during peak time there is chaos at Blackrock, Booterstown and Seapoint stations where people have to literally fight their way on to the DART train. These people want to leave their cars at home and use public transport which the Government recommends as the best and most environmentally friendly way to travel into the city, yet they literally have to beat their way on to the DART trains because of the inadequacy of the service.
From time to time the Government has promised that additional DART carriages are about to be provided. However, they are a long time coming. They need to be provided as a matter of great urgency if the people who use the DART service are to get an adequate service for which they pay and to which they are entitled and if we are not to end up at some point where there is a serious accident at one of the DART stations because of the degree of pushing, crushing and general discomfort which occurs. An article in today's edition of The Irish Times by a freelance journalist describes his experiences at a DART station. I am familiar with this experience as it is not uncommon or untypical. I appeal to the Minister to speed up the provision of the additional carriages promised for the DART service so that there is an adequate service on that line to accommodate and facilitate the people who want to use it. She should also address the management of DART stations and the service as a whole. Increasing numbers of people are opting to use this form of public transport. However, the problem is that the carriages, services and facilities at stations are not adequate to meet the demands of the people who wish to use this service.
Acting Chairman
The next speaking slot will be shared by Deputies O'Flynn, Roche, McGuinness, Brady, Kitt, Ellis and Callely and they will have approximately four minutes each.
The Fine Gael motion portrays the party's usual preoccupation with problems inside the Pale. The Minister has demonstrated in recent years that she intends to address public transport problems throughout Ireland. I am delighted the Government has invested heavily in public transport and has outlined its plan for the next few years. We in Cork have benefited significantly as a result. Eleven to 14 year old buses were used in Cork during the last Administration but there are 50 new buses on the streets now with 30 more due. There has also been significant investment in the rail system.
I am surprised by the Opposition's attempt to lay the blame for the mini-CTC contract at the door of the Minister for Public Enterprise. Deputy Jim Higgins should know better than to try to hang it on her.
(Mayo): The buck stops with the Minister.
The buck stops with the CIE board but perhaps it should stop closer to the Deputy's party. The Deputy attacked Mr. McDonnell over his handling of the mini-CTC contract two weeks ago. He agreed to join the sub-committee to inquire into the farce whereby senior CIE management provided an open cheque book to the main contractor, Sasib and Alstom and Modern Networks Limited.
The PricewaterhouseCoopers report commissioned by CIE is a damning indictment of senior management in Iarnród Éireann, not the Minister for Public Enterprise. She is not mentioned in the report and Deputy Jim Higgins should not try to fool the House. She is not responsible.
I asked Mr. McDonnell when he appeared before the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Public Enterprise and Transport where the buck stopped in regard to this debacle and he has not yet responded. He acknowledged they had made mistakes. I queried whether he asked any senior member of his management team in Iarnród Éireann to resign and he said "no". I then asked him whether he had confidence in his management team and he said "yes".
I also asked whether he accepted fully the findings of the PricewaterhouseCoopers report, which is a damning indictment of the company's management, and he said he did. Mr. McDonnell, Mr. Meagher and their team will have to accept responsibility for their gross incompetence in wasting £27 million in taxpayers' money. The committee is determined to get to the bottom of this.
The Minister should not be blamed.
(Mayo): The Deputy is only a mammy's boy.
Industrial relations in Iarnród Éireann are poor. I know several members of staff at the company and they say morale is low. Last week members of management involved in industrial relations said that anarchy was creeping into the company. One does not use such a word when dealing with staff and addressing problems.
The problem in Iarnród Éireann is that senior managers are not listening or talking to staff and they do not prevent the problems which arise from festering. They are not trying to work out the problems. Management must learn to negotiate in a friendly manner to achieve what is best for the company without alienating the work force, and subsequently the public, who have been gravely inconvenienced by all the recent disruptions.
The Fine Gael motion is utter nonsense. Deputy Gilmore touched on one extraordinary truth. The public transport system is in the hands of an antiquated, worn out, tired and jaded public sector body which has served its time. There is no better example than the DART system. The former Minister for Transport, Energy and Communications, Deputy Lowry, promised an extension of the DART line to the people of Greystones before the Wicklow by-election in 1995. He did not provide any money for it but it was provided by Fianna Fáil. The DART extension was built and to this day it is still not operating properly.
CIE is incapable of managing anything. Its first problem was signalling while its second was rolling stock. We must be sympathetic because over the years successive Governments did not invest money in public transport but in recent years money has been invested which has been grotesquely mismanaged, as evidenced by the mini-CTC contract and the DART extensions. Additional staff were recruited to operate the DART service to Greystones and Malahide and extra carriages were purchased. There is not a banana republic in the world which would tolerate the service provided to the taxpayers and stakeholders in the CIE group.
Ireland has been betrayed by CIE management which has feathered its own nest. When we examine the salaries they agreed in dubious circumstances with the last chairman of the board we will know more. People in the trade union movement have also betrayed the country because they are not willing to display leadership. It would be in the interests of the commuters, taxpayers, stakeholders and the workers in the CIE group if a little logic applied in that organisation.
A proper management and board must be appointed initially at the top and common sense must be adopted at the bottom. Deputy Gilmore and his party might use a little influence on the trade union movement in that regard.
I acknowledge there is a difficulty throughout Ireland in regard to the transport infrastructure. That has been created by the economic boom and the Government has responded positively by introducing a number of different measures. I have no doubt the investment being made by the Government will pay off over time. The Opposition's reaction to the problem is nothing short of a sham and is another failed attempt to grab headlines and curry favour with the electorate.
The Opposition presents itself every Tuesday in the same format, which is a Government in waiting. However, it is more like an Opposition in a coma than a Government in waiting.
The Government, on the other hand, has proved it has the will, policies and funding to put a transport infrastructure in place that will serve us well as the economy develops. The Minister has displayed enormous ability and leadership in dealing with the problem left on her desk as a result of the inactivity of the previous Government. She was also left to deal with the CIE management structure, which does not compare favourably with the real world. The sooner it begins to respond the better.
The previous Government left behind a public transport system urgently in need of investment and a serious problem in regard to rail safety and did not produce a strategy for the revitalisation of public transport. The rainbow coalition failed to address any of these problems or tackle them in a meaningful manner. The Government's plan to deal with traffic in Dublin will provide major assistance to the many people who travel to and from Dublin to conduct business. The investment of £150 million in the regional transport programme and the upgrading of public transport infrastructure in my constituency bodes well for the future for those who operate and use public transport to and from the capital.
The development of roads infrastructure such as the N9, which is at design stage, should not be lost sight of because when all the projects are in place there will be an improvement in the development of the economy and an infrastructure which is second to none. This will be down to the Minister's vision and the activity of the Government. It will also highlight the Opposition's inaction when it was in power. The Opposition's use of Dáil time in this manner is nothing short of appalling.
The Government in its three years in office has been more active than any other Government in providing investment for public transport and developing policies and strategies to meet existing and new challenges. The capital Estimates for the Department of Public Enterprise have been increased from £247 million to £318 million for 2001, an increase of 20%. This is an unprecedented increase of £71 million which will be spent on public transport, including Luas, bus and rail services and the rail safety pro gramme. The provision for national roads of £630 million is an increase of £210 million or 50% on last year. As Deputy McGuinness said, the overall provision for public transport investment is £441 million. The Government subvention to CIE is rising from £115 million to £159 million, an increase of 38%.
The Government had to develop a plan and it is making a reality of that. Based on the Opposition's track record in office, its promises and proposals can only be regarded as frivolous ramblings from a vivid and greatly overtaxed imagination. They have no more substance than a bottle of smoke. The Government is well on its way to putting the building blocks in place for the deregulation of the Dublin bus market which should be completed by 2002. As a member of the Committee on Public Enterprise and Transport, I compliment the Minister for Public Enterprise, Deputy O'Rourke, and the chairman of that committee, Deputy Doherty, who has done a tremendous job. As Deputy Currie is also a member of the committee, I am sure he will concur with my views in that regard.
I thank Deputy Currie. At least we agree on the odd matter. I am concerned about recent announcements regarding the extensive deregulation of the taxi business. I do not have a vested interest in the taxi business but I have a vested interest in fair play, equality and justice, and it has not happened in this instance. I accept that the courts have decided that the Government cannot set a limit to the number of taxi licences. However, as a former trade union official, I have grave reservations about any scheme which permits unrestricted access to the business as the new scheme announced last night does.
The Government has a right and a duty to regulate in the interests of both operators and consumers on such matters as the quality of service, standards, health and safety regulations, and so on. The consumer and the service provider must be taken into account. They must have dialogue. The taxi operators and those who hold taxi licences have been treated very shabbily in this regard. If a person paid £15,000 for a taxi plate a few months ago or last year and it can now be bought for £100, he or she must be compensated.
As a Government, we have a duty to act in a fair and just way and in accordance with the law. The law states that everything is deregulated now. Where will we begin or stop? The taxi men got a raw deal and we must rectify that. We are the people in Government and we must ensure these people receive a fair deal. They have not received that. People have contacted me who invested £80,000 and now have something worth £100. Anyone with a streak of common sense will know that that is wrong, unfair and unjust. As a Government, we have a duty to rectify that and we should do so by providing adequate compen sation. We must write the cheques and ensure those people are adequately compensated for their loss.
If it is Fine Gael policy to prioritise the railway system as the primary artery of national development, it should have done something about it in the previous Government but, unfortunately, no decisions were made by two Fine Gael Ministers during that Government's term in office.
It is encouraging that the Taoiseach has spoken about the Government's plan to radically upgrade Ireland's road and public transport network. It shows that planning is moving ahead rapidly and key elements are already ahead of schedule. The road development plans in County Galway alone are very exciting because they involve new roads from Galway to Ballinasloe on the way to Dublin, roads from Tuam to Galway, roads bypassing Gort and going on to Limerick and roads which will bypass Milltown in the northern end of the county.
While that is very encouraging, there is a great need for investment in the railways and I agree with what the Minister is doing in trying to achieve extra funding for them. A great deal of money has been spent on the railway from Dublin to Galway but we need to provide links into Galway city. The city is fortunate that the railway and bus stations are in the centre of the city. There could be a railway line into Galway for commuters from Tuam, for example. There could be links from south Galway into the city. There should be investment in that. I am always reminded when I go to Gort about the time children from Clare went by train to school. That was very beneficial but many of these rail links have been lost. It is time they were brought back.
We also have a prospering timber industry and, with lines from Sligo to Limerick, it would be useful to put timber and freight back on the railway lines serving Masonite, Clonmel and Waterford and all the lines on which Fr. Micheál MacGréil has campaigned hard with his western inter-county railway committee to have freight and timber running again. This is very important and it should be done.
I welcome what the Minister has said regarding the expansion of the Nitelink service and also the fact that extra buses have been brought on stream. Four quality bus corridors have been put into operation. In Galway we are fortunate that there is a bus service on the hour provided by Bus Éireann. We would not have it were it not for the competition which came into the bus industry through the private sector. That is very important. I was disappointed last week when a railway strike led to a bus strike at very short notice. I do not understand how that was allowed to happen. Good notice was given of the rail strike but no notice was given of the bus strike.
I agree with the Minister's proposals to have screens at bus stations letting people know when the next bus is due. These are provided on the Continent and at railway stations, such as Heuston, and Busáras. I hope the Minister's plans will be supported.
There is only a brief mention of airports in the Fine Gael motion – Dublin Airport is mentioned. I am disappointed there is no reference to the regional airports because there needs to be investment in them. The marketing fund must be extended to other airports throughout the country. In Galway good use has been made of the marketing fund. I hope the fund will be increased next year and extended to all regional airports which are very important if there is to be regional development in Ireland.
This motion is a piece of political opportunism on the part of the Opposition. Anyone who looks at it will see it is an attempt to try to jump on the bandwagon in terms of a number of things which are already happening. When the records of the Government and the previous Government are compared, especially where the area of the country I represent is concerned, it will be seen that the previous Government had no commitment with regard to upgrading the railway line from Dublin to Sligo and a number of other areas, such as Galway, Waterford and Tralee. The current Government took a decision to upgrade the railway system and I pay tribute to the Minister, Deputy O'Rourke, for taking the decision to put Government funds into upgrading the line from Dublin to Sligo.
There is also the ongoing situation with the CTC signalling system and that deserves a full investigation. Reference was made to the Committee on Public Enterprise and Transport carrying out a full assessment. There will be a need to investigate that matter fully.
Work that was proposed and should be completed has not started. In many cases, some of the other additional works that were to be carried out, such as laying fibre optic cables, has also been delayed as a result of this action.
The upgrading of these lines means that rolling stock will have to be improved and that is the next step the Government should take. The upgrading of the road system has been mentioned by other speakers and I have no doubt that there is a need for that. We should stress to the Opposition parties, however, that we now have a BMW region in the west and north-west as a result of the decision taken by Government, which was totally contrary to what the previous Government proposed, namely, to have the entire country as an Objective One area in transition.
We must examine the positive transport initiatives that have taken place under this Government as well as the upgrading of various relevant facilities. A number of recent developments are to be welcomed, including the new Nitelink bus system for Dublin. If we do not have sufficient taxis in this city, people will need alternative transport services. None of us wants our sons or daughters to have to walk home after attending discos because of lack of a proper late night transport service. Earlier in the debate a speaker said that parents have to pick up their sons and daughters late at night. In the country we always had to do that but, thankfully, in recent times taxis and hackneys have started to appear in even the most rural areas.
We all want to see the new Luas system in place as soon as possible. It has the support of everyone in Dublin and everyone who visits the capital. In tabling this motion the Opposition is trying to be opportunistic. The Government's decision to compensate taxi owners had to be taken to ensure deregulation. People's investments are entitled to such protection. Negotiations should take place between the taxi unions and the Government to try to resolve the issue. Dublin is a growing city and it needs good public transport, whether it is provided by the private or public sector. The citizens of the country have a right to such a service.
I support many of the views that have been expressed to improve and enhance public transport. I hold strong views on the need for a proper integrated public transport network to address the congestion difficulties in Dublin as a matter of urgency. Some of the traffic congestion is due, in part, to the lack of a properly co-ordinated programme of road maintenance and necessary infrastructural works. Contractors seem to be able to redirect traffic flows without appropriate consideration for those using our cities and towns.
I welcome recent public transport service developments, in particular the provision of 500 new buses and new DART carriages, the extension of the Nitelink buses and the consultative process proposed by the Minister for Public Enterprise, Deputy O'Rourke, on institutional reform of public transport. Progress is clearly being made but much more has yet to be achieved.
In the past I have been happy to work closely with taxi representatives to develop ranks, shelters and adequate licences. I brought the various interest groups to round table discussions which later resulted in the formation of the taxi forum. For the first time, we had the relevant groups in round table discussions and at that time they reached agreement on significant increases in taxi licences. The taxi forum worked well for everyone because we had consultation, with no protests and no litigation. There were positive initiatives with, most importantly for the general public, more taxis operating on the streets.
I am surprised and somewhat disappointed, especially as a Member of the Government benches, that the Minister of State, Deputy Molloy, introduced his blunt instrument of change to the taxi service yesterday, without dialogue or consultation with representatives of the taxi industry. It is a matter of regret that representatives of the industry, including SIPTU, one of the largest unions in the country, failed to achieve an audi ence with the Minister of State, Deputy Molloy, to discuss this issue today. The measures announced yesterday will have a detrimental effect on many people, including their spouses and dependants, whose livelihood depends on the taxi industry. Surely, in the era of social partnership, consensus, negotiation and consultation, the way forward in these matters is to have dialogue and discussion. Look at the success of the taxi forum. Can anyone point the finger and say that it did not work? It worked well and made significant progress on the taxi issue at that time.
Part VI of the amendment in the name of the Minister, Deputy O'Rourke, refers to the Government's commitment "urgently to restore a workable basis for new taxi licensing in order to satisfy public demand". The overriding consideration must be that additional licences are delivered without delay on a workable basis. Surely this is best achieved through consultation and dialogue with representatives of the National Taxi Drivers' Union, the Irish Taxi Federation and SIPTU.
Everybody is attempting to achieve the same goal and it can be done through consultation. Not one taxi man would disagree there is a need for additional licences, and most Members of this House have said so. Everybody is setting their sights on the same target which can be achieved through consultation, as the taxi forum did. Many taxi drivers who have contacted me do not want to resort to protest or litigation, but they see the new proposals as threatening their livelihoods and investments. This is especially the case for many older taxi operators whose pension is under threat.
If the Minister of State, Deputy Molloy, wishes to resolve this issue he should make himself available to meet the legitimate representatives of the industry and agree proposals for a workable and equitable compensation package. It is important to correct the many incorrect statements that were made about what the taxi forum achieved and the number of licences that were issued by it. We should recognise the success and achievements of the taxi forum.
I am at a loss to understand why we do not have an integrated public transport system in place, with all public service vehicles operating and co-ordinating transport services, especially at peak seasonal times. Is it not crazy to allow our subsidised public transport system to shut down at a time in the evening when public houses, late night discos and city restaurants are filled to capacity? Surely, we can provide the public with something better than a Cinderella service? Much more has yet to be achieved.
Deputy Currie, I understand that you are sharing time with Deputies Donal Carey, Hayes, Ring, Gormley, Naughten, Ulick Burke, Perry and Belton.
I have often wondered, both in government and in opposition, about the useful ness of Private Members' motions. While I recognise that they can highlight particular problems, embarrass the Government and gain publicity, only rarely do they do much good. I am glad, however, the motion before the House tabled one week ago, on 15 November, has struck gold. While the gold remains to be assayed and definite conclusions remain to be arrived at, on two issues at least, this debate has precipitated some action.
I welcome the announcement well into the Government's fourth year in office that the long-running taxi scandal may, at last, be coming to an end. To be realistic, it is the result of a judicial decision which forced the hand of the Government. I became aware of the close relationship between Fianna Fáil and the taxi industry at a very early stage. On the first occasion on which I sought election I was surprised and appalled to see outside most polling stations in my constituency lines of taxis which were waiting to collect voters and on which the word "taxi" was covered by the name of the Fianna Fáil candidate.
I understand the fury and frustration of taxi operators who have been led up the garden path by certain Fianna Fáil Deputies who have betrayed them. I listened to Deputy Callely and while he might huff and puff, there is no doubt that he has not delivered. He has let the people down to whom he and others made promises. The taxi drivers have been betrayed.
I have considerable sympathy for some taxi drivers. Full compensation should be paid to individual taxi drivers who paid big money to provide employment for themselves. Widows who were bequeathed licences by their late husbands as a form of pension also deserve full compensation, but, as we are all aware, there are others in the taxi industry, including bookies, who control a number of licences. These people are speculators who acquired licences as a form of speculation and deserve to be treated as such – they win some, they lose some. In this instance, they have lost and deserve to lose.
I also welcome the decision announced by the Minister to expand the Nitelink service from the end of November. An hourly service was ridiculous. I have teenagers about whom I worry a lot when they are out at night. I have often said to myself, "Thanks be to God for Lucan Cabs".
I live in and represent Lucan, and traffic and the cost of housing are the two most serious issues affecting my constituents. They are interlinked. Young people who have paid in excess of £150,000 for a two and a half bedroom semi-detached house find that they cannot get out of the housing estate in which they live in the morning and back in again in the evening. The QBC from Lucan is a success, but only when one gets out on the dual carriageway. If one is stuck in traffic on approach roads, it is of diminished influence.
We have been promised two new railway stations in Lucan north and Lucan south. When will they be provided? They will make no contribution in responding to the current emergency. We have also been promised a metro system which will serve part of west Dublin. The year 2016 has been mentioned as the earliest by which it will be provided. I will have something in common with it as it is likely that I will be underground by the time it is provided, all because of a lack of planning at central Government level and on the part of local councillors who are motivated and driven by developers who did not pay attention to the need to provide the necessary infrastructure.
I have listened carefully to the debate. I travel regularly by taxi in Dublin and have yet to hear a taxi driver say that he or she would agree to deregulation and with the issuing of additional taxi licences. Most complain about the lack of co-ordination of traffic and events in the city.
My colleagues should have added to the motion the additional failure of the Minister to recognise that the timings for the closure of pubs provided for in the most recent legislation only add to the chaos. It is obvious that she did not exert any influence. She probably did not make any protest. She probably just said that the pubs should close at 1 a.m. or 2 a.m., clashing with the discos and clubs and leaving many people on the side of the road at a time when few taxis are available. It is during daylight hours that there is over-capacity.
There is much work to be done on this matter, which I thought could be resolved peacefully. It is obvious that Fianna Fáil members of the Government have not yet got down to work. If the matter is to be resolved, they will have to try to persuade the relevant Minister to step aside before he will give in. This is something about which they should think.
I am disturbed about the ongoing industrial disputes in Iarnród Éireann in respect of which Deputy Roche, in particular, and others blamed the current management. There is an aspect of the company which I have begun to admire. It has hired many young people who will leave quickly if the industrial disputes continue. All we will be left with are older staff who will not be able to cope with any improvements made in respect of which active staff will be required who will be able to work quickly. The motion condemns the Minister for her failure to resolve any of the industrial disputes in the company. This is a worthy charge to place at her door. If she was present in the House, she would in her usual way dodge the ball and throw another back at us. Equivocation is her master trade. I fully support the motion.
Mr. Hayes
If there was ever a time for the Minister for Public Enterprise, Deputy O'Rourke, to move on, it is now. She has been in office for over three years during which time the public transport system has deteriorated. While I am aware that the Government has a difficulty with the concept of political responsibility, prefer ring to shunt responsibility for this issue to every authority and none, this is an area around which specifically the grand madam of the Fianna Fáil Party needs to get her head very quickly. She has been an abject failure in terms of the co-ordination of public transport policy. As my colleague, Deputy Jim Higgins, said last night, there are 13 agencies in this city with responsibility for public transport and we wonder why it is in such a mess. There is no co-ordination or political leadership at the relevant Departments and the Minister is unable to take on certain vested interests who do not want the transport crisis to be solved.
I heard Deputy Callely say earlier that the establishment of the taxi forum last year led to a number of substantial solutions, but I disagree. I was not a member of the taxi and hackney committee that was established by the four Dublin local authorities but the reality is that if the recommendation of that committee had been accepted at the time there would have been no need for deregulation. Fianna Fáil, particularly the Taoiseach who established this forum, delayed the inevitable and increased public hostility towards the taxi industry. Those who should be held directly responsible for that are the Members opposite. The taxi forum was a sop. It delayed the inevitable and, worse still, it failed to take on board the substantial progress made by the four local authorities in this city in respect of the taxi and hackney committee.
If we had gone down the road of accepting more licence plates two years ago, as was the proposal from the taxi and hackney committee, we would not see deregulation today. I hope people remember that and the ignorant promises made to them on their doorsteps in 1997, which were repeated to me as I walked about my constituency. People should not forget the duplicity of Fianna Fáil public representatives in this city when they gave that carte blanche commitment. They should not forget it now and I hope they do not do so at the next general election.
The traffic crisis in Tallaght has worsened since the Government came to office and will continue to worsen unless action is taken. A quality bus corridor was built two and a half years ago at considerable cost, yet no bus has ever travelled on it because the corridor stops at Templeogue, one mile away. Why, since the Government came to office, has the Luas project been stalled? We would have had a Luas line in Tallaght, built and delivered upon this year, but for the procrastination of the Minister, Deputy O'Rourke, when she delayed the whole project looking at tunnels underground, specifically under St. Stephen's Green. That kind of procrastination is causing chaos in the public transport system.
This debate is about failure. Why are the taxi men outside the door tonight? It is because of the failure of the Government. I do not blame them. If they listened to Deputy Callely and other Fianna Fáil Deputies they are going down the wrong road. They may have made a mistake the last time but this time they will not go around the city with posters.
I listened to the contributions made by Fianna Fáil Deputies, and they must have a new script writer. I wonder who she is. There were a few jokes in the scripts tonight but they were not able to carry them off because this is no joke.
I come from the west where there was a train dispute for ten weeks. There was no public service into the west but there was no word about it because it did not affect Dublin. When it affects Dublin everyone talks about it. We have had rain in the west in the past ten years for ten months out of 12 but there was not a word about it. Three weeks ago there were floods here and the whole world knew about it.
As regards the train dispute, a neighbour of mine, Finbar Masterson, was in the gallery last night. He is a young man with a wife and family, and his wife had to sit on the line when people, who supported unions at one time, started to take a train out of Westport. He gave 42 years of loyal service to Iranród Éireann. He never went on strike. He was fighting for his rights, his family and his job. Why? Because the Minister has lost control and she must go.
Deputies
She is tired, worn out and does not know what will happen. The nurses went on strike, as did the gardaí. There is a strike in Aer Lingus and now the taxi men are on strike. The only body that is not on strike, and should be, is the Government. It should be in opposition.
I agree that the local authorities had made progress on the taxi issue. The publication of the Oscar Faber report went some way towards understanding the difficulties. The taxi forum was also making progress. I spoke to an official today who told me that 3,200 plates were promised by 2002. That would have been much better than what we have now. If that happened the taxi men would not be outside the door, concerned for their livelihoods, and there would not be as many people queuing at taxi ranks at night.
The problem with the Government is it constantly changes tack. With the publication of the joint programme in 1999 we had a new venture. That has caused a problem. We need a far deeper analysis of the problem. We have unlimited hackneys in this city, yet when you try to get one at night you cannot do so. In theory, everyone has a mobile phone so you should be able to telephone for a hackney if you are in a bar or restaurant. As one of the ushers said to me, why during the day do you see long lines of taxis but at night you cannot get one? Is it, as was stated in the Oscar Faber report, that certain taxi people do not like to work at night but prefer working during the day? That analysis must be undertaken. We must look at the reality of deregulation and see where it has worked. We know there are cities where it has been an abject failure.
There must be greater accountability as regards Dublin Bus. I see the cutbacks in my constituency with the No. 13 bus. I asked simple questions in relation to the DART in Barrow Street but I cannot get answers. We do not have accountability or feedback and that is part of the problem.
This motion is about the abject failure of the Government to tackle the transport crisis. There is gridlock on our road and rail networks. There is gridlock in the capital city and at the Cabinet table. The only actions we see are strikes, go slow and work to rule. The wholescale disruption we have seen over the past three years has led to traffic congestion. I have been travelling to Dublin for the past four years and my journey now takes an hour longer. We have plans for new motorways and additional road infrastructure but these are delayed due to lack of resources to recruit engineers from abroad and fewer planning officials. This is a bottleneck that is clogging up the system and ensuring the Government's proposals do not take effect.
Three weeks ago the N4, the main artery to the west, was flooded, five years after it was built. What hope is there for our infrastructural development in the future if we could not get it right when we had resources and staff in the past? Rural transport has been blatantly ignored by the Government. Deputy Sargent and I laid before the House cost effective proposals to tackle this issue but they have been ignored. Pensioners cannot get public transport. They cannot use their free travel pass and that is unacceptable. Fine Gael wants to reduce by half rail journey times to Dublin and around the country. We are prepared to make the investment and the radical overhaul of the system that is needed. This Government is failing to tackle those issues and to ensure that the major structural reform required takes place. I condemn the Government on its lack of progress, vision and confidence in delivering the national development plan and its infrastructural elements.
I support the motion. The chaos in the city tonight portrayed by the taxis outside Leinster House and throughout Dublin shows that the situation has come to a head. I do not know where it will lead us.
This Government has lost interest in tackling problems. Whether it is the failure of the Minister, Deputy O'Rourke, to take an interest or the Minister of State, Deputy Molloy's, ill conceived action to resolve the taxi problem, it has now come to a head. Take as an example the train service from Galway to Dublin. Last Sunday week a train was due to leave Galway at 4 p.m. for Dublin. Passengers in Ballinasloe were left in the station until 7.10 p.m. without any indication from Iarnród Éireann that the train would not come. When it eventually arrived it was over crowded with people returning to Dublin after the weekend. By the time it reached Athlone, there was no seating and people had to stand. How can that be considered a service? The Minister has failed miserably.
We can go back further and look at the inadequate bus service. Opposition Members spoke about an hourly bus service from Galway to Dublin by Bus Éireann. The reason it came about was that Bus Éireann realised the private bus companies had cleaned them out. The only way it could fight back and recoup some of the ground lost was by providing an hourly service. The private operators provide an excellent service at a cheaper price and Bus Éireann is still unable to compete with them on price.
Whatever this Government does, it must realise that it has made a mess of the transport sector whether it be buses, trains, air services or taxis. It is incapable of readjusting to provide a proper service.
This is an important issue. The Government has failed dismally in providing public transport services, whether it is on land, sea or air. Deregulation of the taxi industry is a cause of concern to taxi drivers and I can understand that.
I come from a business background and believe the revocation of restrictions on the number of taxi licences was badly handled. The Government assumes that if a taxi owner made an £80,000 investment five years ago, he or she will be fine. I disagree. Taxi drivers work a 40 hour weekend. It is a high risk industry. The tax write-off being suggested will depend on profits. I am in the retail trade and I am also a funeral director but I am aware that operating a taxi is a high risk enterprise involving high costs. It is not an easy business to run and one must work a 40 hour weekend as opposed to a 40 hour week, which means working early in the morning and late at night.
The Government has failed. The Minister rejected the option of paying compensation to taxi drivers. There is compensation for farmers and redundancy payments for workers. The Minister must face the fact that people who have made an investment in taxis must be compensated. It is the least to which they are entitled. These people made an investment of £80,000, are probably rearing families, employing somebody to drive and trying to maintain a social life. That is extraordinarily difficult.
There are also 5,000 hackney drivers. It is a different trade. The new regime will give them an entitlement to get an equivalent plate. Everybody knows how easy it was to get a hackney licence and about the abuse of hackney and taxi licences. The Government has failed and Government backbenchers are playing a double game on this issue. The Government endorsed this policy. Fianna Fáil is in partnership with the Progressive Democrats and is responsible for introducing this deregulation.
Deregulation was necessary but not in this manner. If this Government were in business, it would be bankrupt. That is not the way to treat people who have given a valuable service. This should have been introduced in a planned manner and consultations should have taken place which would have facilitated fairness. We do not need a situation where there are no trains, no buses and strikes. Every man parked outside this House today would prefer to be driving his car and making money while welcoming people into the trade. The Minister, however, made a short announcement, reducing an £80,000 investment to the value of a couple of hundred pounds. That is not fair or just and I cannot understand the Minister's justification.
The Minister must understand the sheer frustration of the taxi industry. I can empathise with their difficulty. The Minister offered a tax concession in the form of a write-off against profits. That is subject to profits being made. This is not a mega rich business but a difficult business operating during difficult hours.
There is a huge necessity for additional taxi plates but, like the argument for the retention of grocery orders and other practices, we must ensure the survival of people who have built up this industry to its current level. They will certainly welcome new people to the industry but people who have lost money should be compensated. There are several ways this can be done. People who have made the investment and have families to rear should be given some help in this "compo society" where there is compensation for everything.
I support this motion and compliment Deputy Jim Higgins for putting it before the House. This is an historic day. I doubt that any other country in the world has schools closed, trains stopped and airports and roads closed off. It is a national crisis yet the Exchequer is awash with money and the Government is cock-a-hoop about its performance on the economic front.
Services are a disaster and they will continue to be a disaster for as long as this Government is in power. Problems have not been tackled. One cannot deal with problems by trying to be nice to everybody. That is a childish attitude. Governments are in office to govern, not to travel the length and breadth of the country opening this and that for photo-calls. It was said lately that if a tin of beans were being opened, one could expect a Government Minister to turn up.
The Government must get down to the basic business of making decisions. That is the purpose of governments. We have seen today the result of the problems that have piled high in recent years. The country has been brought to a standstill. I appeal to the Minister to tackle these problems.
The record of the Government on public transport is second to none. We have been more active than any pre vious Government in developing a long-term vision, setting out a comprehensive medium-term investment programme and providing greatly enhanced Exchequer resources for investment. We have done this against a background of unprecedented growth in demand for transport and many decades of sustained under-investment in public transport.
Let us consider what we are doing. We have taken a number of important initiatives, which provide a long-term vision. The national development plan sets out the basic tenets of our long-term strategy in terms of the revitalisation of railways, a radical transformation of the public transport system in the greater Dublin area and the development of regional public transport, urban and rural. The recently published DTO document, Platform for Change, outlines a long-term transportation strategy for the greater Dublin area and complements the land use strategy in the strategic planning guidelines. Land use and transportation strategies are also being put in place for Cork, Limerick and Galway. We have engaged in a sustained policy development process under the auspices of the Cabinet Committee on Infrastructure. We have published far-sighted and challenging proposals on the institutional reform of public transport and the regulation of the bus market in Dublin. The Cabinet committee will consider proposals on the institutional arrangements for transport and land use in the greater Dublin area at its December meeting and a review of bus market regulation outside Dublin will be completed next year.
We have taken action on investment. We are the first Government in living memory to put substantial Exchequer capital resources into public transport. The national development plan sets out a £2.2 billion public transport investment programme, way ahead of anything provided in previous plans. In 2001, the Exchequer will provide £281 million for investment in public transport, compared with only £409,000 five years ago. We will provide £159 million in Exchequer revenue support payments for public transport in 2001, 50% more than five years ago. A combination of Exchequer and EU support has been provided for the purchase of more than 500 new buses, 375 for Dublin Bus over the past two years and 148 for Bus Éireann this year. A total of 46 DART and diesel railcars have been delivered this year, firm orders have been placed for a further 72 and an option to buy a further 36 DART cars has been negotiated. The revitalised Luas project is under construction, 40 trams have been ordered and the system is on schedule to open in 2003. A competition to appoint a PPP operator will begin before Christmas. We have put in place a five year, £430 million railway safety programme and have provided almost £280 million in Exchequer support in the first three years.
We have also taken other initiatives. Last year I published revised guidelines for bus licensing in the Dublin area. Up to then that market was virtually closed to private operators. Since then 17 licences have been awarded. Over the next few days I will urgently consider proposals from my Department for more liberal licensing guidelines. Last night the Minister for Public Enterprise announced a major expansion of the Dublin Bus Nitelink service, with four new routes, extensions to existing routes and a continuous 20 minute service between 12.30 a.m. and 4.30 a.m. The service will have a nightly capacity of up to 10,000 passengers. It will operate throughout the Christmas and new year period, beginning on 30 November. It will then continue on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays throughout the year. The Minister of State, Deputy Molloy, announced major measures, which will put more taxis on to our city streets. The DTO and the Dublin local authorities have decided to establish a dedicated project team, under the aegis of Dublin Corporation, to plan and implement the quality bus corridors on a seamless basis. The Minister, Deputy O'Rourke, has published an important report showing the way forward on integrated ticketing and fares, involving the introduction of state-of-the-art smartcard tickets. Legislation will be introduced in the new year to establish a railway infrastructure procurement agency to procure major rail-based projects, including the metro announced in July on a PPP basis.
We have made a major start in addressing the neglect of decades. Our record stands up to scrutiny compared with that of previous Governments. We are committed to a long-term programme of reform, investment and service development and we are delivering. I urge the House to support the Government amendment.
I understand Deputy Flanagan wishes to share time with Deputies Deenihan, Crawford and Jim Higgins. Is that agreed? Agreed.
I wish to make one point in support of the motion, one that has not been made by my colleagues, which is of great importance to my constituents and to people living in Munster and the mid-west region. I want to talk briefly about the traffic gridlock in Kildare, which has become intolerable. Neither a Minister nor a statutory agency is willing to work on finding a resolution to what has become a major difficulty. We are told the problem persists only on bank holiday weekends or on Fridays, but the reality is that anybody travelling to or from Dublin through Kildare is seriously adversely affected because of the traffic gridlock there.
I call on the Garda authorities in conjunction with the National Roads Authority and Kildare County Council to declare Kildare town an emergency traffic blackspot. Hundreds of thousands of pounds per day are being lost directly to the economies of Munster, south Leinster, the mid-west and my constitutency because of the traffic gridlock in Kildare town. Not only are diesel and petrol being burned fruitlessly, as hundreds of thousands of motorists travelling to and from Dublin have to wait for hours on end in Kildare, but potential and actual business is lost to my constituency and further south as investors, those attending meetings and industrial and commercial representatives lose valuable hours every day due to the inability to pass through the town of Kildare. Important meetings throughout my constituency are cancelled or rescheduled on a daily basis because those participating in them are unable to attend on time. The situation over recent months is such that those travelling to Dublin from the south on business or for social reasons are very much burdened and handicapped.
Kildare County Council washes its hands of this issue, as cars, trucks, and buses park virtually in the middle of the street on the main street in Kildare, thus adding further to the daily problem. I am most critical of the traffic light sequence in Kildare town, which is directly responsible for much of the huge back-up of traffic on a daily basis. I have been in contact with the Garda Síochána in Naas requesting that gardaí take up permanent point duty in Kildare. I suggested that a roster of traffic duty should be undertaken by the gardaí on a daily basis from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. every day. A garda on point duty, equipped with an appropriate two-way radio, would surely do a better job than the current set up.
As I said here previously, when I was a young fellow I came to Dublin with my parents and the first person we saw on O'Connell Bridge was a big garda on a white bollard wearing white gloves up to his elbows with a baton in his hand. That fellow shifted the traffic. I want him brought out of retirement and placed in Kildare town. The situation there is intolerable.
During the summer I appealed to the National Roads Authority to help alleviate the problem, but no positive action has been taken to date. Gridlock in Kildare is now a major national issue, costing our economy hundreds of thousands of pounds per day. Meanwhile the National Roads Authority, the Garda Síochána, Kildare County Council or anyone else does not accept responsibility. Surely the Minister for the Environment and Local Government can show a measure of leadership and for a change knock heads together to resolve this critical issue.
The Minister of State outlined a number of options and initiatives the Government has taken, but they are not working. I am sure he will agree this city is choked with traffic and the problem is spreading to the rest of the country. The journey from Kerry to Dublin, which at on time took only four hours, now takes five and a half hours and the position is getting worse.
The Minister of State talked about a long-term vision. People should have had that vision ten years ago. What we need now is immediate action. We need immediate solutions. Drastic action will have to be taken. As an industrialist said to me last week, we have a first world econ omy with a Third World infrastructure. Traffic gridlock is a major problem when people cannot get from one side of town to the digital park in the west of the city or to work in the morning. While this motion has been rubbished by the Government, it reflects what is happening.
I received a number of calls from people in Kerry regarding the Tralee-Dublin rail line. A number of people who were due to come to Dublin today for medical treatment could not come, as they were inconvenienced because of the rail strike. The train is their only means of transport from Kerry to Dublin, as they cannot rely on the provision of an ambulance service nor do they have the use of a car. If the industrial relations mechanisms are not working, which is the reason we have so many strikes, we should review the structure of how we resolve disputes. It is time we reviewed what is happening, as there are too many strikes. The Minister cannot keep blaming the existing structures, be they the Labour Court or other mechanisms sheltering behind the PPF. We will have to review the existing structures if they cannot resolve current industrial relations. It is important that the drastic action suggested be taken as soon as possible, otherwise we will have more difficulties.
Deputy Ellis raised questions earlier tonight. He questioned Fine Gael's motives in raising this issue. I cannot help remembering Deputy Ellis and his colleagues raising the issue of BSE; they demanded a debate on that matter here, no matter how much damage that did to our national image. We may have to debate that issue again soon given the trouble beef farmers are in.
He also took great pleasure in telling us how much money was available for transport through the BMW scheme and how the Taoiseach had worked for that. He has forgotten very quickly that the Taoiseach worked very hard to include Kerry and Clare to appease an Independent Deputy from Kerry. The Taoiseach did not make that work; it was the European Commission which insisted that only Border, western and midland counties be included.
The Minister of State, Deputy Molloy, introduced the changes in the taxi sector yesterday in an unacceptable way. Before the last election the parties now in Government spoke about how they would consult the people. The Minister for Defence said he would not close any Army barracks without consulting the people. If Deputy Molloy had carried out proper consultations we would not have people outside Leinster House today. That was done because of the pressure exerted by Fine Gael to ensure there was some form of taxi service in Dublin over Christmas.
Successive Governments – I include all parties – have failed the people of Cavan-Monaghan completely. When the railroads were closed we were promised proper road structures but today there is total gridlock on the M2 from Monaghan to Dublin. Three by-passes were promised years ago but nothing has happened; not a sod has been turned. People trying to reach Dublin Airport cannot get there unless they leave three to four hours in advance, yet under the Government there have been so many strikes there – including today's taxi strike – that nobody knows if they will be able to travel. We were lucky to have a major jobs announcement the other day for Cavan but there was none for Monaghan. If we are to retain businesses in outlying areas we must ensure the transport service works properly. School buses are lying idle half the year and this must be looked at. Those buses could be used to transport old age pensioners and others entitled to free travel but who do not have a service.
(Mayo): I am surprised not one of the three senior Ministers with responsibility for the transport shambles is present to hear the conclusion of this debate.
(Mayo): I thank everyone who contributed to this debate. That 27 speakers contributed over three hours shows the depth of political feeling and concern there is in this issue. I thank the Labour Party for supporting the motion. Deputy Stagg's analysis of the social and economic consequences of the current transport paralysis could not be more accurate. People spend a minimum of ten hours every week travelling to and from work or they are late for work or deliveries are late. We need more buses immediately. I visited the Broadstone depot and the new buses are modern and comfortable but the 125 buses boasted about by the Minister for Public Enterprise last night are pitifully inadequate in terms of the demand.
Last night we had the usual history lesson from the Minister: who did what, when and where. People are not interested in history lessons. They want action and results. The Minister did exactly what I predicted she would do; she produced the chequebook and the cash register, boasting about the mega-millions the Government is spending. As I said last night, the problem with the Government is that it thinks that if it throws money at problems those problems will go away. It thinks money is a cure-all but money is only part of the equation. Proper planning, foresight, vision and management is needed as much as money and we do not have those at present.
People who sat in traffic jams this evening, inching their way from traffic light to traffic light, are not interested in the mathematics. They want action. They want the gridlock to end so they can get back to their families. As Deputy Yates said last night, however, things are getting worse.
The Minister's rhetoric last night is of little comfort to people who have to cancel hospital appointments and postpone interviews or who missed planes because of today's rail strike or the gridlock at the airport. In the middle of the worst public transport crisis in the history of the State, the best the Minister could offer the country last night was to unveil her new public transport smart card project. If there was ever a poorly timed sick joke, this was it. To talk about smart cards when we have too few buses and no trains while Dublin Airport is wracked by five industrial relations disputes is one joke too many.
The Irish Independent editorial put it well today. Passengers would be more indebted to the Minister and CIE if they “would bridge the reality gap between the transport system they would like to have and the shambles we are actually encumbered with at present.” There is something chronically wrong with management- worker relations in CIE that must be sorted out. There seems to be no long-term strategy or industrial relations model in place. Consequently, CIE will continue to stumble from crisis to crisis as is happening at present.
The Minister should take notice that commuters are tired of this shambles and will not take much more of it. Forget the smart cards and gimmickry. Give us buses that run on time, give us a reliable air transport system and give us comfortable trains. That is all people are asking for but we have not got that. As has been said repeatedly, it is time for this Minister to go.
Amendment put.
Tá
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Ahern, Noel.Andrews, David.Ardagh, Seán.Aylward, Liam.Blaney, Harry.Brady, Johnny.Brady, Martin.Brennan, Matt.Brennan, Séamus.Briscoe, Ben.Browne, John (Wexford).Byrne, Hugh.Callely, Ivor.Carey, Pat.Collins, Michael.Cooper-Flynn, Beverley.Coughlan, Mary.Cowen, Brian.Cullen, Martin.Davern, Noel.de Valera, Síle.Dennehy, John.Doherty, Seán.Ellis, John.Fahey, Frank.Fleming, Seán.Flood, Chris.Foley, Denis.Fox, Mildred.Gildea, Thomas.Hanafin, Mary.Harney, Mary.Haughey, Seán.Healy-Rae, Jackie.Jacob, Joe.
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Keaveney, Cecilia.Kelleher, Billy.Kenneally, Brendan.Killeen, Tony.Kirk, Séamus.Kitt, Michael P.Lenihan, Brian.Lenihan, Conor.McCreevy, Charlie.McGennis, Marian.McGuinness, John J.Martin, Micheál.Molloy, Robert.Moloney, John.Moynihan, Donal.Moynihan, Michael.Ó Cuív, Éamon.O'Dea, Willie.O'Donnell, Liz.O'Donoghue, John.O'Flynn, Noel.O'Hanlon, Rory.O'Keeffe, Batt.O'Keeffe, Ned.O'Kennedy, Michael.O'Malley, Desmond.O'Rourke, Mary.Power, Seán.Roche, Dick.Smith, Brendan.Treacy, Noel.Wade, Eddie.Wallace, Mary.Walsh, Joe.Woods, Michael.Wright, G. V.
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Níl
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Barrett, Seán.Bell, Michael.Belton, Louis J.Boylan, Andrew.Bradford, Paul.Broughan, Thomas P.Browne, John (Carlow-Kilkenny).Bruton, John.Bruton, Richard.Burke, Liam.Burke, Ulick.Carey, Donal.Clune, Deirdre.Coveney, Simon.Crawford, Seymour.Creed, Michael.Currie, Austin.D'Arcy, Michael.Deasy, Austin.Deenihan, Jimmy.Durkan, Bernard.Finucane, Michael.Fitzgerald, Frances.Flanagan, Charles.Gilmore, Éamon.
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Gormley, John.Hayes, Brian.Higgins, Jim.Higgins, Michael.Howlin, Brendan.Kenny, Enda.Lowry, Michael.McCormack, Pádraic.McDowell, Derek.McGahon, Brendan.McGinley, Dinny.McGrath, Paul.McManus, Liz.Mitchell, Olivia.Moynihan-Cronin, Breeda.Naughten, Denis.Neville, Dan.Noonan, Michael.O'Keeffe, Jim.O'Shea, Brian.O'Sullivan, Jan.Owen, Nora.Penrose, William.Perry, John.
Quinn, Ruairí.
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Níl–continued
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Rabbitte, Pat.Ring, Michael.Ryan, Seán.Sargent, Trevor.Sheehan, Patrick.Shortall, Róisín.
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Stagg, Emmet.Stanton, David.Timmins, Billy.Upton, Mary.Wall, Jack.Yates, Ivan.
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Tellers: Tá, Deputies S. Brennan and Power; Níl, Deputies Flanagan and Stagg.
Amendment declared carried.
Question, "That the motion, as amended, be agreed to", put and declared carried.
