Jack Chambers (Dublin West, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I appreciate what the Deputy has said. Each year that funding for new roads projects occurs, the allocations that are required to ensure there is continued progress can vary. Some years it requires a multiple of what I have outlined earlier and when construction occurs it is at a much greater scale. To move through the different gateways and to make progress in the decision-making process, the amount can vary from year to year, which does not give a reflection of the overall progress. As I have said, technical advisers are being procured following the public consultation and the scheme is being advanced based on the feedback received.

The overall NDP allocation is heavily weighted towards the latter part of this decade in Cork. There is huge ambition within Government in transport to build the road safety improvements that are needed across communities. I take the Deputy's point and one thing I am prioritising is that I chair the ministerial road safety committee. It concerns me when we have increased collision data and significant increases in the use of particular roads that need funding. That is a concern in the context of our overall approach to road safety and vision zero in road safety. We have to make sure we continue to upgrade our national roads. In recent decades there has been a huge impact from the improvement of our road network in the overall reduction in road deaths.

I will take away what the Deputy has said and I will be engaging with TII on the importance of this road and on making progress with the N71. I will keep engaging with the Deputy on it.

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