The Minister has campaigned extensively for MetroLink and for improved sustainable transport for more than 25 years. As he knows, I have been campaigning for metro south west and have passed transport motions at regional assembly level, including on the opening of the Navan rail corridor and, in particular, the metro extensions to Knocklyon and UCD. The south-west Dublin area is chronically congested and becoming densely populated with strategic housing development schemes, among other planning applications. Dublin South-West is in need of improved public transport to give people better access to work, education and health. The impact of sustainable transport extends beyond the environmental benefits to include improvements to quality of life, productivity and opportunity. The programme for Government commits to prioritising plans for the delivery of MetroLink, Luas and other light rail expansion. When is it expected that the planning application for the airport-city metro will be lodged and when can we expect works to start?

The Deputy and I share a belief in public transport and the potential role of the metro in extending not just to Ranelagh but further south. Whether it goes south west to Terenure, Knocklyon, Firhouse and on to Tallaght, up the green line, which I think is less likely given the disruption it would cause, or runs to the south east, to Donnybrook, UCD, Stillorgan and Sandyford, is going to be the subject of a detailed review by the NTA, looking at all options. We have to look at the options with real seriousness because, as the Deputy says, that south-west corridor in particular, as I know from working there over the years, is probably the least well serviced in terms of bus corridors, the most difficult and there is a large amount of planning and development happening there at this time. We need public transport solutions for every quadrant of the city and that quadrant is particularly ill served. However, it has to be done on a good transport basis. We have to look and see what the optimal engineering solution is and that will take time. Unfortunately, as we discussed earlier, transport projects, particularly big projects like the metro, which has been more than 23 years in planning-----

We cannot go into the detail.

I expect it to go for planning approval this year but, even then, it will take many years to build, such is the project. By thinking long term, we can get the overall planning of the area right, including Terenure and Rathfarnham.