Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)

Under the current policy, the NRA has identified optimum locations for 12 service areas at approximate intervals of 50 km to 60 km and legislation was amended in 2007 to allow it to do that. Generally, service areas are designed to offer a full range of services, including convenience retail services as well as extensive car, coach and HGV parking and Garda enforcement areas. In addition, the NRA provides for rest areas. While they are not a substitute for service areas, there are a number of parking areas along the major inter-urban routes where vehicles can be parked safely to allow drivers to take breaks or rest periods. In the context of a motorway, an interval of 50 km to 60 km should be adequate.

With regard to projects that have already begun, three opened for business in 2010 - two on the M1 and one on the M4 - and the authority has planning approval for four other stations at Athlone on the M6, Cashel on the M8, Kilcullen on the M9 and Gorey on the M11, and three other service areas are being tendered at present for Athlone, Kilcullen and Gorey.

See this speech in context