Jackie Cahill (Tipperary, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I appreciate the Minister of State's reply but the bottom line is that for 2022, funding is not available for this route selection. The whole road from Limerick Junction to Waterford is of major economic importance for my county. On the section from Waterford to Cahir, Clonmel and Carrick-on-Suir urgently need the bypasses this road would provide.

As I stated, this concerns the people who have been affected by the delay in route selection. Their land has been sterilised for a long number of years at this stage and it is just not acceptable that they would have to wait at least another 12 months. The Minister of State has held out the olive branch of it being in the national development plan, with funding to be provided in 2023. That is not much good to me when a person comes into my constituency clinic who has been working hard on getting planning permission for the past number of years but has been told to wait again to see what happens with route selection.

A sum of €2 million would keep the consultancy process on the route going. That is not a huge request. As I said, I raised this matter with an Taoiseach. I urge the Minister of State to revert to the Minister for Transport, Deputy Eamon Ryan. For the sake of €2 million and in the interest of fairness, he should let the selection of the route proceed. That is a fair and reasonable request. If we spoke about commencing the road project, we would be talking about far greater sums. This is about route selection and it has been an ongoing process for a long number of years. I urge the Minister of State to revert to the Minister, Deputy Eamon Ryan, and say that the area has been sterilised for a long period. It is in a very strategically important part of the country. This delay is sterilising the potential of the towns along the route, including Clonmel and Carrick-on-Suir. I urge the Minister of State to go back to the Minister and get the €2 million fund required for the consultancy process to proceed and allow selection of the route to happen in 2022.

See this speech in context