Shane Ross (Dublin Rathdown, Independent) | Oireachtas source

​I thank the Deputy for her question. I am not familiar with the exact situation she is referring to, but I have learnt a fair amount about it in the past 24 hours and I am grateful to the Deputy for pointing the situation out.

As Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport, I have responsibility for overall policy and funding of the national roads programme. The planning, design and operation of individual roads is a matter for Transport Infrastructure Ireland, TII, under the Roads Acts 1993 to 2015 in conjunction with the local authorities concerned. Furthermore, the statutory power to levy tolls on national roads, to make toll by-laws and to enter into agreements relating to tolls on national roads is vested in TII under Part V of the Roads Act 1993 as amended.  The contractual arrangements relating to M1 tolls are, therefore, matters for TII. There is no provision under the legislation whereby I, as Minister, could review the toll charges on the M1.

I understand that TII entered into a 30-year contract in 2004 with the public private partnership company Celtic Roads Group to construct a bypass of Dundalk and operate and maintain this section of road together with 42 km of the existing motorway. As part of this contract the PPP company is entitled to charge tolls in line with the approved toll scheme. The approved toll scheme provides for tolls on the main motorway and the Donore interchange ramps. My understanding is that the Donore ramp toll plazas were installed to mitigate possible "rat running," with the adverse impacts that would have on local communities. In response to concerns expressed at the time about the possible impact on businesses in Drogheda, the approved toll scheme stipulates that where a vehicle exits the motorway, having paid a toll, and re-enters within three hours, no further charge is payable.

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