asked the Minister for Communications if he will make a statement concerning the up-to-date position relating to the proposed rapid rail system for Tallaght.

There are no proposals before my Department for the extension of the Dublin suburban rail system to Tallaght. Any such proposals will fall to be examined in the first instance by the Dublin Transport Authority, which I propose to establish in the very near future. A priority task will be to assess transport needs of Tallaght and other areas in the context of Dublin's overall transport requirements.

The authority's examination will not, of course, be confined to rail proposals and, given the low-density of residential development prevalent in the Dublin area and the inherent high cost of rail projects, there is a high probability that cheaper (e.g. bus-based) alternatives will be to the fore in the authority's evaluation process.