Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

In fairness, neither of us is here to score political points. We both appreciate what Cobh and the surrounding areas have to offer in terms of tourism and future investment possibilities. We agree that we would like to see the bridge and road being improved in the coming years. It is frankly a matter of money. The roads budget has been cut back severely, largely in order to protect front-line public services and reduce the amount of new taxes that have to be imposed. Therefore, it has been cut back for good reasons. However, I will be seeking an increase in the budget in the next round of multi-annual funding so that projects like this one can continue again.

The money we have left is largely for care and maintenance. The only new projects going ahead are either relatively inexpensive or funded off balance-sheet through public private partnerships. This is not the kind of project, however, that can be done as a PPP.

I note from Sinn Féin's pre-budget submission that it has not provided any increase in funding for transport or roads either. I imagine therefore that Sinn Féin would be supportive of the Government's overall thinking, which is that unfortunately, transport projects such as this will have wait in order to avoid imposing further cuts on front-line public services, or further taxes or charges.

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