Thomas Byrne (Meath East, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

As the Deputy noted, the Minister for Transport has responsibility for overall policy and Exchequer funding in respect of the national roads programme. Once funding arrangements have been put in place with TII, under the Roads Acts and in line with the national development plan, NDP, the planning, design, improvement and upgrading of individual national roads is a matter for TII in conjunction with the local authorities. TII ultimately delivers the national roads programme in line with Project Ireland 2040, the national planning framework and the NDP.

The N24 Cahir-to-Limerick Junction scheme is included in the national development plan. TII is working to progress this scheme through planning, design and construction. The Government has earmarked €5.1 billion for capital spending on new national road projects from 2021 to 2030 as part of the NDP. This funding will enable improved regional accessibility throughout the country, as well as compact growth, which are key national strategic outcomes. The funding will provide for the development of numerous national road projects, including the completion of projects already at construction stage and those close to it, as well as the development of a number of others. Given the greater portion of this funding will become available in the second half of the decade, there is a constraint on the funding available for new projects this year. However, many national road projects in the NDP will continue to be progressed in 2023, including the N24 project.

A major priority in the NDP, in line with the Department’s investment hierarchy, is to maintain the quality and safety of the existing national road network. The NDP foresees an Exchequer allocation of about €2.9 billion for the protection and renewal of existing national roads over the ten-year period to 2030, allocated fairly evenly across the decade. Approximately €491 million of Exchequer capital funds has been provided for national roads through TII to local authorities in 2023. These allocations were announced on 16 February 2023.

Having regard to the funding constraint I outlined, it was not possible to provide an allocation to all new national roads projects in the NDP for 2023. However, the majority of projects have been allocated funding, including the N24 Cahir-to-Limerick Junction scheme, which has been allocated €1 million. As with all national roads projects in the NDP, the delivery programme for the project will be kept under review for 2024 and considered in terms of the overall funding envelope available to TII.

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