Shane Ross (Dublin Rathdown, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I will, of course, look on it as favourably as I possibly can. I am glad that the Deputy who has been in this position realises that the competing considerations are overwhelming in this case, particularly as the capital plan looms and decisions have to be made in the autumn. I will certainly bear in mind what he said about the ports and Shannon Airport. They are strong points.

The plan provides for a gradual build up of capital funding towards the levels needed to support maintenance and improvement works. It will, however, take some years yet to restore the steady State funding levels for land transport. There will be a significant increase in funding from 2020 which will facilitate the construction of the national road improvement projects included in the plan. While available funding is not sufficient to address all the demands for improvement schemes, including schemes such as the upgrade of the N24, by the end of the plan period I expect that capital funding for the road network will be back up to the levels needed to support maintenance and improvement works in the future.

As regards the possibility of additional funding within the plan period for national road projects, the capital plan review process is under way and my Department is making a strong case for extra funding to the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform, including the development of a project pipeline for national road schemes. The final decisions on allocations are, however, matters for the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform and the Government as a whole.

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