The Minister for Public Enterprise, Ms Mary O'Rourke, faced cross-party questioning on the cabinet decision on Luas. Members on both sides of the political divide were adamant on the need to ensure that the potential £114 million in EU fund savings should be spent on improvements on the national rail network.
Mr John Connor (FG) maintained that many miles of track, some of which had been shown to be dangerous, could be improved.
Dismissing the Government's proposals, Ms Mary Jackman (FG) agreed with what she said was the description of the latest Luas proposals as the "never, never project". While allowing that there were questions about the funding, Mr David Norris (Ind) said he felt Minister O'Rourke would be well able to answer the questions which had been raised by her political opponents. She was a woman of considerable calibre and was very much on top of her brief.
It was time that various Government departments, particularly the one involved in this case, reclaimed the right to make decisions from the "grey people in CIE," Mr Norris said.