Shane Ross (Dublin Rathdown, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I thank Deputy Sherlock for raising the issue, of which I am aware, because, as the Deputy knows, it has been the subject of some attention recently.

As Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport I have responsibility for overall policy on and funding of the national roads programme. The planning, design and implementation of individual national road projects is a matter for Transport Infrastructure Ireland under the Roads Acts 1993-2015, in conjunction with the local authorities concerned. Within its capital budget, the assessment and prioritisation of individual projects is a matter in the first instance for TII in accordance with section 19 of the Roads Act.

Ireland has just under 100,000 km of road in its network and the maintenance and improvement of national, regional and local roads places a substantial financial burden on local authorities and on the Exchequer. As a result of the national financial position, there were very large reductions in the Exchequer funding available for roads expenditure after the financial crisis. For this reason the focus has had to be on maintenance and renewal rather than major new improvements in recent years. The capital plan Building on Recovery 2016-2021 and the capital plan review allocations mark a significant step forward in terms of restoring funding to the levels needed to maintain the road network in a steady state condition and allow for investment in road improvement schemes. The allocations and planned projects for the first years of the proposed ten-year capital investment plan will align with the existing capital plan, as supplemented as part of the capital plan review. Allowing for the extra funding secured under the capital plan review, roads investment in the four year period to 2021 will be €4.26 billion.

The Mallow relief road is one of the limited number of improvement projects included in the original Building on Recovery plan. TII is advancing these projects on a phased basis, in line with the annual funding allocations available to it. The inclusion of the Mallow project reflected the fact there was recognition at Government level of the impact on the people of Mallow and on businesses in the area of the amount of traffic travelling through the town centre. The project requires necessary project approvals. In this context, the approval process includes compliance with the requirements of the public spending code and my Department’s capital appraisal framework, together with the submission of the scheme to An Bord Pleanála for development consent.

Cork County Council is responsible for progressing the project in liaison with TII. In this context, I understand from TII that a feasibility report, referred to by the Deputy, on the scheme has been completed recently and that Cork County Council is now preparing a brief to commence the procurement of technical advisers to bring this project through phases one to four of TII’s project management guidelines. These phases cover project appraisal, design and progression through the required statutory processes.

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