Mr. Fred Barry:

I refer to the continuing study on the M50 and demand management. The approval by An Bord Pleanála for the upgrade to the M50 included a condition that the road authorities in the area must produce a demand management scheme within three years of the road opening. The third anniversary of the opening of the last section is coming up later this year. The road authorities are obliged under the planning permission to produce this work. The road authorities are primarily the four local authorities, Fingal, Dublin city, south Dublin and Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown. The NRA also has a role because it is the road authority for a couple of kilometres on a section of the M50. We have collectively commissioned this investigation. It shows a fairly compelling argument that traffic will grow quite considerably on that road as the economy recovers. There will be a choice in future years either to manage the demand for space on the road or to face considerable congestion. To manage demand on a road requires engineering measures and smarter travel plans, for example, but the primary method of managing demand is down to fiscal measures, which translates to tolling. The report is not finalised but we fully agree with the recommendation that there will be a choice in the future between additional tolling and possible variable tolling with higher tolls at peak hours. Otherwise, the outcome will be a return to congestion on the road.

There will be no progress in this regard for some time, however, because the Minister has directed that there be no additional tolling during his term in office. It is not a report that would necessarily have led to immediate action in any event. It will be published later this year and the analysis will be there for everybody to see and discuss.

The Narrow Water bridge project, which will link counties Louth and Down, is not part of the national road network and we do not, therefore, have any direct involvement. I understand the likely outturn costs of the project are somewhat higher than initially anticipated. The construction tenders have been submitted and it will probably be on hold until all of that is sorted out. I cannot give a more definitive status update because, as I said, it does not come under our remit.

Deputy Dessie Ellis observed that the programme of motorway construction in recent years, linking Dublin, Cork, Limerick, Galway and so on, did not extend to the north west. We have been catching up a little on the N4 between Dublin and Sligo. An application in respect of the very bad section of road between Castlebaldwin and Collooney will be going to An Bord Pleanála for approval later this year. That will tee it up for the future. It had been intended that the development of the A5 in Northern Ireland would have a significant benefit for Donegal, particularly the north of the county. We are all aware of the position in regard to that project. We are not directly involved in it but as it proceeds in the future, we will be engaging with our colleagues in the North in the context of the State funding that will go into it. We have a very good relationship in general with our counterparts in Northern Ireland. We meet from time to time to discuss developments generally, as well as co-operating on specific cross-Border issues. In the case of the A5, for example, there would be a co-ordinated approach in respect of the crossing between Lifford and Strabane.

Planning issues and funding in regard to regional and local roads are outside our remit. In the case of the additional €50 million allocation, unfortunately we did not see any of it.