Mr. Michael Nolan:

From 2019 onwards. Part of our submission to the Department on the mid-term review was that we could do more on the minor schemes. We had a target of delivering 150 minor projects in the seven-year life of the road safety strategy, as published by the Government. We will probably get to about 43 or 44 of those schemes. Because of funding constraints, we will be well short of that target. These minor schemes are low cost and high value because we will be taking out some really nasty pieces of the network that have been long-fingered for a long time. There is a big safety dividend and they are very well received locally. The planning applications go through An Bord Pleanála quite easily because there are very few objections to such projects. We would like to keep that programme of work going because we have developed an aptitude and local authorities are well skilled in delivering small schemes. It entails considerable discussion and consultation with local communities and landowners and local authorities are well placed to do this. It has also meant that many small contractors have had a lifeline since 2010 during the recession. Such projects do not really attract the big players; they attract small family-based companies that employ locally. They are of a scale that they can handle.