Jimmy Deenihan (Kerry North, Fine Gael)

I join the previous speakers in congratulating the Leas-Cheann Comhairle on his election to such a very important post in this House and I am sure he will be very fair to all of us, particularly on this side of the House.I congratulate Deputy Billy Kelleher, one of the nice people in this House over the years. His elevation is deserved. I also recognise the change of Office in the case of Deputy Noel Dempsey.

As the Minister pointed out, the principal purpose of this Bill is to provide the necessary statutory basis to facilitate the implementation of free-flow, open-road tolling, also known as barrier-free tolling on toll-based national road schemes. It also provides for appropriate deterrents for non-payment of tolls. Deputy Olivia Mitchell has been particularly strong on this issue for some time and I recognise her work and that the Government must have been influenced in its policy by her insistence over the years, and Deputy Roisín Shortall's, that this was the way forward.

I welcome the Bill. I am in favour of tolls. Those who use a facility such as a motorway must contribute towards it. There are problems and I have heard some aired in my clinic regarding people not living in this country and who may be from Northern Ireland or the UK, for example, using such roads on a very regular basis. I am sure such issues will be dealt with by the Minister.

Our road system is very important from a tourism perspective. People would appreciate the type of tourist that kept tourism in the west of Ireland and other rural parts of the country going, was the tourist who brought his or her own car. That type of tourism is on the decline and it is very important for us to encourage people to bring their cars to Ireland and show them we have a high standard of road network and that the roads are safe. This has not been the case, as we all know, but the situation is improving.

People stopped bringing their cars to Ireland because they went to Europe instead, and although there were other reasons, it was principally because of the inferior condition of the road network and a lack of signage. The issue was not mentioned in the Minister's speech but we must review signage, particularly signage for leaving this capital city and negotiating around it. It must be a nightmare for tourists coming off the car ferry and then trying to leave the city, be it north, south or west. I raised this issue some years ago and although there were promises of progress, unfortunately none has been made.

I refer to two sections of the Bill as I know my time is limited. As one who drives on a regular basis between Kerry and Dublin, I have experience of the new motorway and dual carriageway sections of road in the country. Service areas are not included in the planning for major road improvements. Service areas should be built into motorways and should be included in processing the plans. They have not been up to now.

A person leaving Dublin could have to travel beyond Portlaoise before coming to a service station. For the local, the tourist and visitor alike, a sudden realisation that petrol or other supplies are required and a service station is not in sight can be quite alarming. It is a matter of major concern for people. The provision of service stations at intervals should be built into road planning. Several companies provide service stations. I am sure the NRA could enter into contractual arrangements at an attractive profit. It could assign service stations to a particular company in some cases. The provision of proper service stations should be included in road plans so people can avail of services, rest and other facilities, such as toilets. I welcome this provision and it is important that it is included in road plans for the future.

The issue of major sporting events in respect of which by-laws could be introduced was mentioned. I welcome that suggestion. It applies not only to events in Dublin but to those in other parts of the country, be it Limerick, Cork, Killarney, Tralee or wherever. Order needs to prevail at such major events. Where parking is prohibited and restricted, the promoters of the events should put in place alternative arrangements, otherwise people will have to walk for miles to attend, or will be discouraged from attending, sporting events. We have all witnessed haphazard parking at sporting events where cars have been abandoned. If people cannot park their cars in designated areas, if parking facilities are not provided and if such laws are not put in place and strictly enforced, certain venues will not be able to stage events. Therefore, the provision of parking facilities is a major consideration.

I draw that matter to the attention of the officials and suggest that the by-laws should provide that motorists cannot park in certain places but that the promoter of an event should ensure proper parking facilities are made available for it and show the location of such parking provision.

In regard to the national primary road network, Transport 21, which was launched on 1 November 2005, outlined the specific national roads that would be completed over a period of time. I acknowledge that major progress is being made and that is welcome to motorists. The length of time it takes to travel to Dublin has decreased and that must be welcomed.

To return to local issues, major issues exist in Kerry concerning the national primary and secondary road infrastructure. I would like the Minister, through his officials, to respond to one issue in particular. The Minister's predecessor, the Minister, Deputy Cullen, came to Castleisland in County Kerry during the week the general election was called and declared that the proposed bypass at Castleisland would go ahead at the end of 2008 and that a financial directive would be sent to the NRA to enable it to do that, to enable it to frontload the money for it. Will the Minister confirm today if such a financial directive was sent to the NRA by the Government to enable it to frontload the money to commence work on that project at the end of 2008 as promised? It is important that is clarified.

Another issue is the bypassing of Tralee in County Kerry. Tralee is currently choked with traffic. It is easier to get around Dublin at times than it is to get around Tralee. People are frustrated about that. The provision of a bypass around Tralee must be prioritised from a local and tourist point of view. Castleisland and Tralee are the gateways to County Kerry.

The N69 is mentioned in a press release. Flexibility must be exercised in regard to certain requirements for major new industrial enterprises. A major enterprise is under way in Tarbert, County Kerry, namely, the liquefied natural gas, LNG, project at the Tarbert-Ballylongford landbank. The N69 certainly needs to be upgraded to facilitate this project. The officials may be aware of that.

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