Maurice Quinlivan (Limerick City, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I thank Mr. Shanahan. My second question is basically a local one but it would be remiss of me not to put it. I have met Mr. Shanahan a few times in Limerick when he has been there opening companies and the additional jobs are always very welcome. A number of the companies based in the Castletroy industrial estate and the Plassey area are hugely concerned about traffic levels in the area and the long-awaited northern distributor road that seems to have been put on a long hold.

Would Mr. Shanahan agree with me that the north side of Limerick, the south-east Clare area and the area between the north side of Limerick and Shannon Airport have potential for massive growth and that the northern distributor road would deliver additional jobs to the Castletroy and Plassey area? Some of the companies in the area have told me, either through meetings with representatives of IBEC or in one-to-one meetings, that they are concerned about traffic levels in that area, especially coming off the M7 motorway. We have built the Coonagh-Knockalisheen road. It is almost completed. That is critical infrastructure. This part of the northern distributor road has freed up an awful lot of land in close proximity to Shannon Airport. Does Mr. Shanahan consider the next bit of the northern distributor road to be critical infrastructure in delivering jobs in the region?