Mr. Fred Barry:

Certainly. Deputy Michael P. Kitt asked if I would write to him on the points raised by him. I will do so.

Regarding the N17 and N18, the use of the word "could" in the letter to the Deputy should be taken as no more than the normal caution. Regarding a three and a half year construction period, the contractor will be entitled to take up to three and a half years to build it, but we all hope he will do it faster than this when the time comes.

On the Slane bypass, Deputy Helen McEntee should be aware that, with Meath County Council and the people of Slane, we are very unhappy about the traffic situation in Slane, both from a safety point of view and also for the town. Far too much traffic is passing through it. An Bord Pleanála rejected the original planning application, essentially on the grounds that the proposed road would be visible from Brú na Bóinne. Consequently, the bypass would only be allowed if there was no appropriate alternative available. It was not satisfied that there was no appropriate alternative available. It referred in its commentary to tolling and traffic management plans. It acknowledged that it had no role in implementing traffic management systems and regional transport policy, but, nonetheless, it stated something along these lines would have to be done. It made the valid point that some of the traffic problems in Slane resulted from traffic diverting from other routes to avoid tolls. We have since explored the extent of this problem. It is not news to anybody that that is the case, but we have concluded that adding tolls on the N2 would help to alleviate the congestion in Slane.

It could take up to 40% of the heavy goods vehicles out of Slane, which would be a significant contribution. I appreciate that there is no desire to introduce new tolls, but it is a possibility.

Meath County Council is planning to produce a traffic management plan for Slane, for which much of the fundamental analysis has been undertaken. We have undertaken some of it, while the council has also carried out some of it and the data are available. The council will produce a traffic management plan and it will be for it to decide whether to implement such a plan, perhaps on a trial basis to see if it would work. I cannot see any basis for going back to An Bord Pleanála and stating, "We told you before that a traffic management plan would not work and you did not accept it, but we are here again saying the same thing." We would just get the same answer from it. That would not work very well in achieving the end objective. Therefore, the council will develop the traffic management plan, but I do not know what its timelines are. I imagine it will take months rather than years, but it will develop the plan. It is not up to the NRA which has no role in deciding whether the council should implement it. That is between council officials and councillors there. If the traffic management plan requires extraordinary measures that would not normally be allowed on a national road, we will co-operate and offer support, given the difficult and unusual circumstances involved, but we will see how that unfolds. The NRA could certainly make a direct application to An Bord Pleanála, but the same considerations would apply. We were clear on the last application and if there is a future application through Meath County Council, we will be clear that the NRA is supportive of it, but Meath County Council must go through the other steps before we can get to that point.

We will certainly look at any proposal coming from our good friends in the regional office in County Donegal. It is an outstanding office which does great work. We will examine what can be done there. A lot of good work has been done on the Lifford to Letterkenny connection and the crossover from Lifford to Strabane has been approved by An Bord Pleanála. In addition, some work has been done on the Aughnacloy to Dublin corridor. I understand what was said and eventually it will be a full corridor. Earlier the committee heard all of my comments on the status of major schemes generally. We do not have too many major schemes in planning and development. We are unlikely to add a major development to the planning stream until such time as there is some prospect of being able to deliver it beyond that point. However, we will talk to the regional office constructively to see what it has in mind.