Noel Ahern (Dublin North West, Fianna Fail)

The Minister for Transport has responsibility for overall policy and funding for the national roads programme element of Transport 21. The implementation of individual national road projects is a matter for the National Roads Authority under the Roads Act 1993 in conjunction with the local authorities concerned.

The Deputy's suggestion that the roads programme has almost been cancelled is nonsense. This year, the Government provided a budget to the NRA of nearly €1.5 billion, one of the largest single annual investments in road infrastructure in the history of the State. This investment programme represents an average investment of €120 million per month in Ireland's national roads. That is a huge investment and allocation of resources. The Deputy's comments to the effect that the programme has been almost halted are nonsensical.

The figures I have quoted demonstrate this Government's commitment to providing for an infrastructure that will allow this country to take full advantage of the upturn in the economy when it comes. The current economic climate and the difficult and rapidly worsening position of the Exchequer have had an impact on the Government and the NRA's ambitious plans for the development of the road network that this country needs.

In view of the severe constraints on Exchequer finances, and in light of the forthcoming budget, the Government has now re-prioritised all national development plan expenditure for the rest of this year to concentrate on employment intensive projects. Every Department in receipt of NDP funding has been asked to ensure that no new contractual commitments are entered into before sign-off by the Department of Finance. This will allow the Government to have maximum discretion in future allocations. There is no halting of the programme. The Departments could work ahead on the programmes in the NDP but the situation has changed and it is important for the Department of Finance to be able to keep an eye on what is happening and approve individual sign-offs. That does not halt anything, that is good management, controlling the situation and keeping an eye on the resources and signing long-term contracts accordingly.

The NRA is so far advanced on the delivery of the major interurban routes, with all five routes now either under construction or open to traffic that most of its funds for 2009 are contractually committed. Approximately €50 million of the allocation is not committed. This money will finance a range of other projects around the country, including the Castleisland by-pass, which will be the only major construction project to start this year. That is the way the work has flowed because the continuing work, such as the M50 around Dublin, and other massive projects, is contractually tied. As soon as that work is finished next year the budget will be available for other projects to be approved.

My Department has written to the Department of Finance outlining the expenditure programmes its agencies propose to undertake for the remainder of 2009 and seeking that Department's sanction for those programmes. This includes the NRA's proposed programme of minor roadworks on both national primary and national secondary roads, as well as planning and preparatory works on a range of other projects.

I expect that the Department of Finance will respond to my Department about these matters following the budget on 7 April. The total capital provision for regional and local roads is €468 million of which approximately €95 million is already committed. The Department of Finance recently sanctioned expenditure of €150 million and local authorities will be advised immediately following the supplementary budget what projects can proceed under this restored sanction.

Further information is available about the roads under construction but it is not fair to say that 70 roads have been halted or anything like that. The Department of Finance wants to give specific approval for major contracts before they go out——

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