Seán Fleming (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Deputy for raising this issue on behalf of his constituents in Sligo. There have been many accidents and fatalities on the road. One factor that is not taken into account sufficiently in these areas is the number of lives saved by improved roads infrastructure. We often talk about the cost benefit of roads, but we cannot put a price on people's lives. People are fatally injured in traffic accidents as a result of unsatisfactory roads that are not capable of dealing with the volume and type of traffic on them.

It is important that we bear those issues in mind. It is also helpful for the economic development. There are programme for Government commitments relating to roads, rail infrastructure, active travel arrangements, bus services, cycling and walking. It is incumbent on us in government to ensure the allocations in each of these areas are spent within the budget and fully utilised. I should not use the word "spend"; I should use the word "investing", in these facilities not just for this generation but for future generations because those roads will be there. It is important that there is no imbalance in the spending under the various headings I mentioned to suit individual parties in government and that what is agreed by the Government at national level is implemented by the line Minister. We have 15 Cabinet posts and each of them is individuals but there is collective responsibility and it is important that Government decisions are implemented in practice. I understand what the Deputy said when he quoted from the letter that no funding would be available for this scheme for a long time yet. I do not know the specifics of that, whether he was talking about the final construction and building it or the planning, or the CPO, if that is required for land acquisition. It is inevitable that land will be required and it will take a number of years in the best of times. I have seen that in my constituency with regard to various motorways. I will raise the issues raised by the Deputy directly with my party leader and other party leaders at the first available opportunity.

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