Richard Bruton (Dublin Bay North, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank Deputy Danny Healy-Rae for raising this. Coming from my previous job where we were concerned to speed up the development of the south west, I am in no doubt that infrastructure such as this is very important. I understand the project has a strong cost-benefit ratio and that reflects its strategic importance. It is one of the projects that have been singled out in the transport plan as a priority area.

The work on this project is well advanced. It has full statutory approval. I understand the notice to treat has gone out to landowners on the route and that land acquisition is under way. Already significant money has been expended on the scheme in 2014, 2015 and 2016, and this is getting high priority within the transport programme. Of course, the transport programme proceeds on the basis of the capital available each year but a €6 billion road capital programme has been put in place. A project such as this will have high priority within the roll-out of this programme and all the due preparatory work is being put in place to deliver it.

On the Kerry Group issue, I was directly involved in that project. While I know there would have been a great desire to see that in Kerry, the truth was that it was competing with the Netherlands and the UK. There was a really difficult competition to win to get that project for Ireland at all and the project was, of its nature, one that would have to be located close to deep skill pools that were demanded by it. There are significant opportunities in the south west to build, particularly on the assets of Kerry as a location for enterprise. It is very much our desire, both through our regional enterprise strategy but also through the infrastructure programmes such as this, to give priority to such opportunities.

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