Mick Wallace (Wexford, Independent)

The Minister stated: "The problem I face is that a large number of interest groups, including local authorities, county managers, Deputies, Senators and councillors, all want me to continue to spend lots of money on planning for projects that we cannot afford to build for perhaps ten or 20 years." The Minister noted a good suggestion from a Deputy that towns in need of bypasses that we can no longer afford should try to develop interim plans for traffic management through those towns. For future reference, I refer to the case of Ross, where under no circumstances can we afford to build a bypass. A relief bridge in the town would be a cheaper option and would suffice, given that the bypass is unlikely to be built in the next ten or 20 years.

See this speech in context