Eamon Ryan (Dublin Bay South, Green Party) | Oireachtas source

I look forward to visiting Sligo again. I have been trying to get out there. I am visiting Westmeath County Council tomorrow and I look forward to visiting the county councils in both Sligo and Leitrim to talk to them about the climate action plan we have to deliver together. I am looking forward to visiting Sligo in particular because one of the most interesting pathfinder projects in our Department involves transformative plans for the centre of Sligo town, connecting it to the university and the hospital.

On the wider issue of the roads programme, we have a limited budget. Even though there is €35 billion within the NDP, more than €70 billion worth of projects are in development, with more added every day. Moreover, we have to take account of inflation in the construction industry. We have to prioritise. I have been saying clearly that we should prioritise bypasses on the roads programme such that we will support our town centre first policy of compact development, and projects such as that in Carrick-on-Shannon tick that box. It would be transformative for the town, bringing life and housing back into the centre. We need to prioritise that sort of project in the roads programme.

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