Fergus O'Dowd (Louth, Fine Gael)

This is a very important debate. The first part of the amendment, which I cannot move but to which I will refer, refers to the need to commence work on the road forthwith. The reason is very simple. The capacity originally envisaged for the M3 was approximately 11,600 cars per day. The number of cars actually travelling on it is 21,700 per day, and this number is to rise to 36,500 per day by 2024. If the road cannot cope with the present number, it will not be able to do so in ten years' time. It is clear that something must be done and Fine Gael contends that the new road must commence now.

The amendment we will be moving tomorrow will state very clearly that we must immediately re-examine the issues with a view to finding a resolution that will address the concerns about the archaeological impact of the proposed road. The amendment will be simple, short and factual. If we do not find a way of resolving this issue, the delays to which the Labour Party referred will occur. Nobody, including members of the Opposition, wants them, and I do not believe the Government wants them either. Let us get together to solve this problem.

To address this issue we must first recognise the importance of Tara, the location of the primary prehistoric monument in this country. There should not be a road within miles of it. If it were in the Valley of the Kings, for example, would we consider it in the same light? Tara is just as important and sacred as anywhere else. The problem is that there is a road at Tara at present, on which people live. We must use the route and this begs the question of where we must locate the proposed road. Given the importance of the area, let us face the fact that we will find archaeological sites no matter where we put an alternative road. I accept fully the argument put forward by the Labour Party that the area is littered with archaeological monuments and is part of our history. We cannot say "No" to 5,000 years of history, nor can we say where it starts or stops. We know that the archaeological monuments exist and we would have to build the road on stilts if we were to meet the requirements that some people wish us to meet.

We must ask ourselves how we should proceed. The current argument is that development and progress are in opposition to archaeology, but Fine Gael believes this should not be so. We should be at a stage in our policy-making and development in which archaeology and development can go hand in hand. The argument at the core of the issue concerns whether we should be preserving in situ or preserving by recording. The latter will soon be at the core of Fine Gael policy. The road must be built and we must protect whatever archaeological sites we can, keeping them in situ if at all possible. If it is not possible to keep them in situ— it will not be in this case — we must find the route that will least affect the archaeological sites.

I praise the NRA for the commitment it has made to developing this country and for the money it is spending on roads and archaeology. We should not lose sight of this. I agree with the Minister regarding the spending of €20 million to €30 million on archaeology. It is an enormous amount and it is well spent. The archaeological sites found must be recorded and reported.

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