The Dublin Transport Authority (Amendment) Bill 2026 is a bit of a misnomer because in lots of ways the legislation is more consequential for Cork and the three regional cities. It extends significant powers of planning. It is important that those powers are used with considerable care and judiciously. It is also important that the powers being given to the NTA, which is a matter that deserves careful consideration, ensures that public consultation is still a strong feature and that points are still taken on board. I will come back to that. An opportunity is being missed. The Minister of State might consider this and communicate it to the Department. We know that Cork cannot continue to grow in the way that it does while reliant only on cars. We need 21th century public transport. That means a Luas system delivered more quickly than is currently planned and that links north to south in order to bring in areas like Carrigaline and Douglas. There must also be a connection to the airport. We need to ensure that BusConnects is a success. For it to be a success, we need the bus gates to work. For them to work, we have to have remote enforcement. It is a huge missed opportunity that we have a piece of transport legislation before us that does not contemplate doing that, given that it is absolutely central to the success of BusConnects. It can be a success ,but it will not work if people feel there is no advantage to getting the bus and that bus gates are being abused. Unfortunately, at times, the ban on buses and cars on Patrick's Street, or "Pana", is not entirely as effective as it could be. The other issue I want to raise is something in respect of which I am sure the Minister of State will agree. The Cork Luas has tremendous potential to be a huge success, but the NTA has to listen to the public and ensure that the right route is chosen. What it is proposing in relation to Bishopstown is a huge mistake. The Bishopstown GAA club is potentially going to lose a playing pitch on account of what is planned, and there are all the safety issues that exist. The Luas should absolutely serve Bishopstown but the NTA should return to the first option it looked at. There is no reason that it should not go on Wilton Road. In lots of ways, it will serve more people if it goes along Wilton Road and down from there as opposed to through Bishopstown GAA club and Highfield RFC. I do not agree with that. The NTA should go back to plan A.

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