Frank Feighan (Sligo-Leitrim, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I will proceed.

I thank the Minister of State for taking this Topical Issue matter. It is very topical in counties Sligo and Mayo. There is no allocation of funding this year for this road project. The Minister for Transport, Deputy Ryan, has confirmed that there will not be any funding for the N17 for many years, which is the Knock to Collooney road project. Design work began on this scheme in 2018 and in August of that year the project appraisal plan was approved by the strategic research analysis division of the Department of Transport. This led to Transport Infrastructure Ireland, TII, giving approval to progress the planning and design of the scheme in accordance with the TII project management guidelines. An emerging preferred transport corridor for this scheme was released in January 2023 and was followed by a two-month consultation period. The upgrade will deliver on national policy, including key strategic objectives and deliverables of Project Ireland 2040, the national planning framework and the national development plan, NDP. As the Minister of State will be aware, the project aligns with the national investment framework for transport in Ireland and the national road safety strategy. The Minister has made clear that the project will not be removed from the NDP. It is also clear that the scheme is effectively suspended if no funding is going to be allocated in the next few years to develop the design and progress it to the planning stage. This a huge disappointment. It is a dangerous stretch of road and to leave it behind without funding is tantamount to ensuring that the section of vital connectivity between counties Sligo, Galway and Mayo, the River Shannon and the west more generally is forgotten.

We have had great progress from Clare, effectively, to north of Tuam but this area is forgotten about. We have Ireland West Airport Knock, cancer care services from Sligo University Hospital going to Galway, and very significant industries, to name but a few. These are in Sligo, Westport, Castlebar and Galway and they rely on that connectivity. We are going to grow in the west and something is happening in the west of Ireland, in Sligo and the north west, where many people have moved in from Dublin and London after Covid-19 and Brexit. I always say that Sligo is now the new Galway but we need that connectivity to our airport and to Dublin. We have fallen behind.

If you look at a map of Ireland and at the routes from Dublin to Belfast, Dublin to Galway, Dublin to Limerick, Dublin to Cork, Dublin to Waterford and Dublin to wherever; there is a void when you go into the north west. That is because we did not have that investment. We are just catching up. We need to catch up and we need somebody to listen to those concerns. Again, the road from Sligo to Galway is badly needed.

I understand that as Minister for public transport, the Minister, Deputy Eamon Ryan, is prioritising the number of towns and city bypasses. Moreover, what is happening with the greenways is just fantastic. One has the Sligo greenway, the Sligo, Leitrim, Northern Counties Railway, SLNCR, greenway and many things are happening but on this occasion I believe we need to reverse this. That is not to reverse the decision but to give priority to the N17.

Again, we have worked together on many areas within Government. The Green Party is part of the Government and the Minister, Deputy Eamon Ryan, is a valued member of it, for whom I have great respect. We have worked together on cardiac services in Sligo University Hospital. Sligo Airport was delivered, we are working on Sligo Garda station, on Atlantic Technological University and on housing. There are many issues which can be dealt with in government and this is a situation which we need to deal with here. I hope the Minister of State will have a reply that is comfortable for the people of Sligo and the north west.

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