Jennifer Whitmore (Wicklow, Social Democrats) | Oireachtas source

It is disappointing that so little was allocated for public transport as part of the package. From a climate perspective, that would have been a much better use of money. I recognise that when it comes to road building, safety has to be component. I want to raise the issue of the N11-M11 project, which the Minister's Department has not funded, primarily because of his commitment to spend twice as much money on public transport and to have a reduction in road building. The Department has not funded the whole project, yet the N11 is also an unsafe road. I believe it is the oldest road in the country and it does not meet any geometry or safety standards that apply to roads. There is an obvious need, from a safety perspective, to upgrade it.

The proposal for the upgrade was not just from a safety perspective but it was also to facilitate bus priority schemes and many active travel measures were also built into the proposal. The plans for the N11-M11 have been on the cards for years. Millions of euro have been spent on report after report and restarting consultations and all of that. There is a group of people who cannot upgrade or do any work on their homes because they are caught in a limboland of whether or not this programme will start.

When it comes to Northern Ireland and the fact that decisions will not be reversed, why has this not applied to the N11-M11? Part of the bus priority scheme has to do with the junctions. Will the funding for this be made available?