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Seanad
‹ Order of Business

Airport and city transport

Summary

Senator Quinn argues that transport projects, airport links and College Green decisions require a fuller public debate before commitments are made.

It is interesting to hear a debate already starting. Senator David Norris referred to the underground railway that was proclaimed at least ten years ago. Senator Sean D. Barrett asked us to consider the development taking place in terms of privatising transport from the airport. There is little doubt that that has worked very well. It is a debate we should be having and when I hear Senator David Norris expressing concern about what is happening in College Green, it is a debate that needs to take place because we have not had that debate. Those decisions are being made without understanding this.

Senator Cáit Keane referred to the Garda using technology to check car tax, insurance and licences. I am not sure it is the job of the Garda to check tax and insurance. Modern technology enables us to do that in a much more efficient way. I saw a huge traffic jam recently where gardaí had stopped traffic on the north side of the city. It must have gone back 2 km or 3 km while they checked insurance and the tax discs. That can be done readily nowadays and it is being done with a smartphone. We should investigate the possibility of doing something like that because there is little doubt that it does not make sense for the Garda to be doing it.

Two figures were published today. First, the number of burglaries has increased by 8.4% this year on last year and, second, incidents of stealing from shops have increased by 11.2%. I do not know if that is related to Garda stations being closed but it is the sort of topic we should be debating in this House. I ask the Leader to find time for a debate on that issue in the near future.

The ploughing championships last week were a wonderful success. I spoke yesterday to a group of young students in Trinity College Dublin about entrepreneurship. The ploughing championships came about from an idea Anna May McHugh had 52 years ago. That lady is not a young entrepreneur, although she may have been at the time. The ploughing championships were a wonderful success. I was delighted to see the French Government giving her an award last week because of that success, on which I congratulate her.

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