Seán Sherlock (Cork East, Labour) | Oireachtas source

Thank you, Chairman, for your indulgence on this matter. It is a vital piece of infrastructure. The witness mentioned the abolition of quotas and, perhaps, going back to a blank page again because the previous routes that had been selected might have to be revised. That is not to put words into his mouth. As I said previously, there is a situation with the Mallow relief road. It is a vital dovetail to this project. That is the view of the Mallow Development Partnership, which is a stakeholder group, and Dairygold Co-operative Society Ltd., one of the biggest dairy co-operatives in the country. With the abolition of milk quotas, there is talk about massive drying plants in Mallow and Mitchelstown. The vehicular issues in Mallow arising from agricultural transport and milk production will be vital. That is the reason the thinking behind the northern relief road, in terms of dovetailing into the M20 project, will be important. I am not saying the witness will have the wisdom of Solomon on that at this juncture for the purposes of this committee, but I seek a sense from him of how that project will progress now.