Patrick O'Donovan (Limerick, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

What level of engagement does the National Roads Authority have with the other strategic stakeholders, specifically the port companies? The deepest port in the country, Foynes, which is located in my constituency, is served by one of the worst national roads. From a strategic perspective, what level of planning is involved in the NRA's engagement with the airport and port companies? Does it have plans to be implemented in the event of an upturn in the economy? I am aware that access to funding is difficult at present.

When a proposed road project falls foul of An Bord Pleanála for one reason or another and is stalled or withdrawn from the national profile, for example, the M20 Limerick to Cork motorway, landowners are left in a virtual limbo. Some county councils will have protected certain generic routes, while others will not have introduced any such protection. Sons and daughters of landowners and local people who wish to build houses in the areas in question are being put on the never-never, as it were, because no one knows what will happen or when.

There is much uncertainty on the part of the landowners, in respect of rights concerning their land, who apply for planning permission as local authorities say that planning applications are premature based on advice from the NRA. Perhaps the NRA has something to say on that issue. How do the representatives envisage the role of the NRA in the absence of the large capital envelopes of recent years? In that context, how has the structure downsized to reflect the reduced funding? For example, does it have the same level of administration and engineering support cost overheads? I am aware the NRA prided itself in running a small operation but it has the mid-west national road design office and road design offices all over the country. How has the organisation and its associates downsized to reflect the smaller budget?