Shane Ross (Dublin Rathdown, Independent) | Oireachtas source

The road is happening and it is going to happen. It is not happening at the pace which the Deputy, understandably, would require. The considerable sums being spent on the project are proof of the commitment to it. The option of accelerating the construction of some of the Building on Recovery schemes, including the Ballyvourney to Macroom scheme, was considered. This was not possible within the overall funding envelope available, however, given the moneys needed to meet the Government's commitment to contribute £75 million sterling to the first phase of the A5. Unfortunately, there are other very expensive projects to which we have made commitments and we must keep those commitments as well.

See this speech in context