Paschal Donohoe (Dublin Central, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank Deputy Broughan for raising this matter with me. As the Deputy would expect, I am familiar with the area to which he refers. There is a response that will be circulated to him but I will pick up on a few points in response.

Deputy Broughan will be aware of the overall position on road funding. From a height of almost €3 billion in 2008, this year the level of funding available to me for road construction or maintenance is €760 million, which is a decrease of almost two thirds. Alongside that, there is considerable pressure on the money I have available to fund a range of different projects. The Deputy referred to some of the national projects elsewhere for which there is a great need. He also touched on some of the speculation about metro north. I will not get into what the proposal will be because I must get Cabinet approval for it, but I assure the Deputy that whatever proposal goes forward with, I hope, Cabinet approval, it will be one we are confident we can make happen because I am aware of the number of times different plans have emerged, some of which have happened but many of which have not.

On the road project to which Deputy Broughan referred, the funding position of Fingal County Council, Dublin City Council and the other Dublin local authorities is that, in view of their implementation of the local property tax, each is now in a surplus position in terms of their overall finances and is in a position to self-fund services, including road expenditure. On the particular proposal Deputy Broughan made for the Malahide Road bypass near Clare Hall, to date my Department has not received a proposal from any of the local authorities for that road. That may be for different reasons in terms of examining the proposal or its cost, and the Deputy may well be aware of them, but I have not received a proposal for that road.

A capital plan will be published, I believe, next week. That will refer to some projects that will be progressed, but I anticipate that other projects could be deployed out of the funding that local authorities themselves will have available to them. At this time, neither I nor my Department has received a proposal for that road. Perhaps Deputy Broughan might be able to offer a perspective on that because I am aware, given that I know where he is referring to, that there is a need to look at the road infrastructure in that part of the north side of Dublin city.

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