Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)

I do not have total control over the NRA. Similarly, I do not have control over the local authorities which take the lead in planning new road projects. I appoint the board of the NRA and provide funding for it in the context of the overall Government budget. I can also issue policy directions to it, although I have not done so to date. However, I will be in a position to do so after the capital spending review has been completed. It is likely that I will prioritise maintenance, road restoration and safety works. New projects will be considered thereafter on the basis of cost benefit analyses. It will be difficult to do this until I know how much money will be in the roads envelope. As the Deputy said, the developers of two PPP projects are being compensated because traffic volumes are lower than anticipated. Such an approach was not taken in most PPPs, but it was taken in a number of cases. Compensation is being paid in just two cases. The reason for this is the major reduction in traffic volumes that resulted from the 20% contraction in the economy. In fairness, none of the doomsayers of five years ago predicted an economic contraction on that scale.

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