Imelda Munster (Louth, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I apologise for coming in late as I had Question Time with the Minister earlier. I wish to raise funding for the northern cross route to provide port access in Drogheda. This has been part of a plan since 2006. It was included in the northern environs plan, which was a plan to build 7,200 homes in Drogheda. An integral part of the plan was the port access northern cross route to make the plan sustainable. It was recently refused funding under the urban regeneration and development fund. Initially, the local authorities had been guided towards that fund and told to apply under that particular strand of funding, but it scored poorly. They were then told that it was not the right type of funding after all. The process has been going on since 2006. It has the potential to open up space for thousands of houses on the north side of Drogheda. The project has been going on for 15 years. In light of the urgent need for housing, and given that Drogheda is completely gridlocked, when considering the strategic importance of the project, would the Department consider the fact that it would open up a huge volume of housing and would that ensure it was considered a priority?