AN attempt by the Fianna Fail transport spokesman, Mr Seamus Brennan, to have local consultative councils set up in every area of Dublin affected by CIE's light rail project was defeated yesterday by 10 votes to two.
The division was called by Mr Brennan on the Committee Stage of the Transport (Dublin Light Rail) No 2 Bill after he had been told by Ms Avril Doyle, Minister of State, that the strengthened public consultation provisions in the revised legislation were adequate.
She told the Select Committee on Enterprise and Economic Strategy, which is considering the Bill, that CIE would publish a report by July 10th on the "pros and cons" of different alignments for the proposed light rail routes linking Tallaght and Dundrum with the city centre.
Mr Brennan said difficulties over public consultation were "at the heart of this Bill". If the provisions made were inadequate, he feared that the light rail system could be delayed by five or 10 years, as a result of litigation.
Ms Doyle insisted, however, that the mandatory public inquiry was the appropriate statutory forum to deal with objections. This was complemented by an informal public consultation process, already under way, so she felt that Mr Brennan's proposal was superfluous.
But Mr Tony Gregory (Ind, Dublin Central) said it seemed the public consultation process was already "half over". If it had not been for the tenacity of local people in areas such as Arran Quay Terrace and Mount Brown, in Kilmainham, they would have been faced with a fail accompli.
Mr Joe Costello (Labour, Dublin Central) said he had "a lot of sympathy" for the amendment tabled by Mr Brennan, especially because local government was being "bypassed".
Mr Michael McDowell (PD, Dublin South East) said Dublin deserved better than Luas, which he described as a "bad, half thought out, underfunded scheme". He also agreed with the amendment because, otherwise, there was a danger of "kicking around the have not in our society".
In response, the Minister emphasised that the Government was committed to an "open and transparent" consultation process. She also pointed out that there was provision under the Local Government Acts to defray expenses of parties at a public inquiry who could not afford to do so themselves.
Responding to Mr McDowell, she said copies of all the relevant documentation on the project would be made available to "anyone who is materially affected".
Ms Doyle also made it clear that any submissions made to the Minister for Transport, Mr Lowry, would have "equal status" with the report of the inspector who would preside over the light rail public inquiry.
