Sir, - I was much amused to read your report of the recent Fine Gael conference for the greater Dublin region (The Irish Times, October 30th). John Bruton's argument that Bertie Ahern's Government has done nothing to alleviate the transport needs of our ever-expanding capital is factually incorrect.
It is all very well for Mr Bruton to preach to his party faithful about the importance and priority his party now accords to investment in our public transport infrastructure. I welcome the fact that the Fine Gael leader is pledging that his party will shortly publish a revised version of its "Plan for the Nation", as an alternative to the Government's National Development Plan, and that this would contain radical new proposals for public transport. But Mr Bruton has a major credibility problem on this issue.
In the current version of its "Plan for the Nation", Fine Gael proposes that the railway system be chosen as the primary artery of national development. The document does not however explain why, in the last government, two Fine Gael transport ministers made no decisions on the rail network. And despite Mr Bruton's new-found beliefs in the value of investment in our rail system, people with selective political memories should not be allowed to forget that it was Fine Gael whose policies put the rail system into terminal decline.
Many years ago, George Orwell famously predicted a lot of terrible things would happen around 1984. I think, however, that even he would have baulked at the long-term effects of Fine Gael's 1984 Government plan, "Building on Reality". This had disastrous consequences for our public transport infrastructure and in particular our railway system, consequences from which we are only now recovering. Ironically, the principal architect of that plan was none other than John Bruton.
Fine Gael said then : "A package of retrenchment measures will be implemented on the passenger rail side. . .this will mean there will be no new substantial investment in railways." It is a fact of history that all the improvements in the rail system, and practically all the decisions on new investments with European aid, have taken place under Fianna Fail governments since 1987.
It is also a fact that only last month the Taoiseach gave a public update on the Government's plan to radically upgrade Ireland's road and public transport network which showed that planning is moving ahead rapidly and key elements are already ahead of schedule. The plans will lead to the reduction of travel times, the modernising of public transport and the building of new light rail and underground systems in Dublin.
It is factually wrong of John Bruton to say nothing has happened in the past three years. Is he so out of touch that he is unaware that CIE has confirmed progress in the upgrading and modernising of rail services, including the extension of new services? Does he not know the Dublin Transportation Office has progressed fully integrated plans for buses, rail, Luas and an underground? These plans will lead to a dramatic increase in public transport provision and use in the capital.
After years of neglect and under-investment in our transport infrastructure, this Government is being totally upfront with the public. We accept fully that we cannot turn the situation around overnight. But we will also not be put off by the same people whose mismanagement brought our public transport system to its knees. Together with the secure long-term funding which we have provided, we will ensure that each of the key organisations involved in implementing our transport plans will work rapidly to deliver the first-class public transport system the people of this country deserve. - Yours, etc.,
Tom Kitt TD, Minister for Labour, Trade and Consumer Affairs, Dail Eireann, Dublin 2.