Investment in infrastructure is a key part of the programme for Government. Housing and water infrastructure are key in that but public transport is too. Dublin Port is carrying out an expansion plan and is going to build a new bridge alongside the toll bridge that would facilitate the extension of the Luas to Poolbeg. I ask that in the lifetime of this Dáil we get that project to a stage where there would at least be planning permission sought for a Luas extension to Poolbeg via Ringsend and Irishtown, and we could build on the extensions already happening for Finglas and Lucan.

I thank the Deputy for raising this issue. As he rightly said, the National Transport Authority, NTA, has a responsibility for transport planning in the greater Dublin area and the development of the Luas red line extension to serve Poolbeg is currently one of the projects they are giving real consideration to. Transport Infrastructure Ireland, TII, is the sponsoring agency for the proposed Luas to Poolbeg project and the NTA is the day-to-day approving authority. I understand the NTA recently instructed TII to undertake a pre-feasibility analysis of the Luas to Poolbeg project. We are cognisant that an increased demand for travel from Poolbeg to the city will need to be catered for in coming years. The Deputy is quite right. The transport requirements of the area will need to be met in a variety of ways, and indeed light rail-Luas could well be one of those. These issues will all be considered in our review of the national development plan and what level of funding is available. However, the project will be considered in that context this summer.