Noel Dempsey (Meath West, Fianna Fail)

I propose to take Questions Nos. 7, 23 and 42 together.

Information on the completion dates, projected outcomes and costs of major Transport 21 projects that have been completed or are at an advanced stage of construction is contained on my Department's Transport 21 website.

This is the fourth year of Transport 21 and significant progress has been made. To date, more than 66% of the major inter urban roads programme, linking Dublin with Cork, Limerick, Galway, Waterford and the Border with Northern Ireland, has been completed and the remainder is under construction and on target for completion in 2010. Upgrade of the M50 motorway is also on target for completion in 2010. The Waterford city bypass and Tullamore bypass were recently opened.

On public transport, Irish Rail has completely modernised its intercity rolling stock. I opened the Cork commuter rail line from Glounthaune to Midleton earlier this year and phase 1 of the Western Rail Corridor and the Luas line to Docklands are scheduled to be completed by year end. Construction continues on other projects, including the Luas lines to Cherrywood and Citywest, the first phase of the Navan rail line between Clonsilla and Pace and the Kildare rail project.

The start and completion dates for Transport 21 projects that have not yet commenced will be subject to the relevant statutory and procurement and contract award processes and will also be determined by the funding allocation available during the current difficult economic climate. I do not propose to release the cost of these projects until the relevant procurement processes have been completed and all contracts have been awarded. This is standard practice at this stage.

It is unlikely that all of the projects originally identified in Transport 21 will be completed by 2015. However, no projects have been cancelled and Transport 21 continues to provide the strategic framework for capital spending on transport infrastructure into the future.

The priorities for investment are set out in the renewed programme for Government.

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