O’Driscoll views on public transport investment are not compatible with Infrastructure Taskforce membership, says O’Gorman

Green Party Leader Roderic O’Gorman TD has questioned the suitability of Accelerating Infrastructure Taskforce appointee Sean O’Driscoll, after the muddled comments on public infrastructure and attacks made by the latter on the Green Party in an article in the Sunday Business Post. 

“It is worrying that one of the six ‘independent’ experts that were appointed to Minister Jack Chambers Accelerating Infrastructure Taskforce is more interested in making partisan attacks than in addressing the real barriers to delivery of infrastructure, such as inadequate investment. His failure to reference the need for Ireland to continue to change to a low carbon economy is also deeply concerning”, said O’Gorman.

“I was struck by the contempt with which O’Driscoll talks about the increased public transport investment that the Green Party secured. For decades, public transport has been the poor relation of transport spending by Governments. This is the very reason why major infrastructure projects like Metro keep being delayed; with the resulting disincentive to attracting FDI.

“In Government, the Green Party proudly stood up for public transport. That’s why key projects, like light rail and new train routes in Cork, and the electrification and extension of the DART in Dublin, are now actually going to happen.

“More worrying than the naked political attack; it appears that a key member of a taskforce that last month Minister Jack Chambers called "a critical component of the government's infrastructure reform agenda" doesn't actually understand the value of public transport investment.

O’Gorman also addressed comments made by Sean O’Driscoll on renewable energy.

“When the Green Party came into office in 2020, practically nothing had been done in the previous decade to advance off-shore wind and onshore solar power. The Greens are the only party that have taken our energy transition seriously - something that is mission critical to our future competitiveness.

“At the end of the last Government, it was Eamon Ryan who forced through agreement for a €3bn fund for climate and nature measures - all focused on this country’s future prosperity and competitiveness.”

“Given the extraordinary comments by Mr O’Driscoll, I am left with the question of whether his continued membership of the Accelerating Infrastructure Taskforce is tenable. This should be a question for him and for the Government too."