Noel Dempsey (Meath West, Fianna Fail)

As Minister for Transport, I have responsibility for overall policy and funding in regard to the national roads programme element of Transport 21. The implementation of individual national road projects, including service areas, is a matter for the National Roads Authority in conjunction with the local authorities concerned.

Section 54 of the Roads Act 1993 specifically provides for the NRA or a local authority to provide and-or operate service areas. In 2005, the then Minister for Transport asked the NRA to review its policy of generally not providing service areas on national roads, particularly on the expanding network of access-controlled motorways and dual carriageways. Arising from this review, the NRA developed a programme for the provision of up to 12 service areas on the major inter-urban routes as well as the N6-N18 junction and the N11 route at intervals of approximately 50-60 km. Two documents relating to the NRA's policy on the provision of service areas are available on their website at www.nra.ie.

The NRA has completed the delivery of the first tranche of three service areas under a PPP programme - two on the M1 and one on the M4. A further service area at Gorey on the M11 is scheduled to be constructed as part of the N11 Rathnew-Arklow and N7 Newlands Cross junction improvement schemes.

The NRA proposals for other service areas are progressing through the planning process. However, the construction of these service areas is heavily dependent on the availability of funds and the prioritisation of projects within a reduced capital budget. In light of this, I have advised the IR - I am sorry, I meant the NRA - that it should consider other options to finance the provision of service areas which do not require Exchequer funding.

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