Paschal Mooney (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I welcome Mr. Barry and Mr. O'Neill. Notwithstanding his response to Deputy Dessie Ellis, Mr. Barry will not be surprised that I intend to focus on the north west. He mentioned a particular black spot on the N4 in Sligo.

Has money been ring-fenced for the improvement of that stretch of road or is the NRA awaiting the outcome of the An Bord Pleanála process? Another road about which I am concerned and to which I am sure Deputy Michael Colreavy will also be referring is the N16. What, if anything, is happening with this road?

I have every sympathy for Deputies Tom Fleming and Patrick O'Donovan, particularly as my wife comes from Castletownbere. I fail to see why there has not been any development of the link road to the town. I was astonished to read recently that plans for a bypass of the area had been withdrawn. I do not know what happened in that regard but perhaps Mr. Barry might comment on the issue.

I referred to the issue of road maintenance at our previous meeting with the NRA. At that meeting Mr. Barry expressed some concerns about the amount of funding that would be available in the next two to three years to ensure the great work done in developing the road network would not go to waste and that all routes would be maintained. Is he satisfied that the message in this regard has got through to the Government and that the budget for maintenance will be sufficient in the coming years? There was some discussion in recent months to the effect that the Government might be releasing moneys for capital investment projects. Is the approach of the NRA in this regard proactive or reactive? Does it have a wish list ready? I do not believe it does because it must react to what occurs.

Last night on the Adjournment in the Seanad I raised the issue of the invasive weed Japanese knotweed. This came about as a result of a letter to a national newspaper from a woman in County Kerry who stated this ubiquitous weed was proliferating at quite a rate and damaging the environment as a result. It is an extraordinary weed which just seems to grow continually and there is a particular method for eliminating it. I understand the national road network is subject to intrusion by this weed. Does the NRA deal with Japanese knotweed in a way which ensures the environment will not be damaged? Great work can be done in maintenance, but this weed can undermine entire stretches of road.