Eamon Ryan (Dublin Bay South, Green Party) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Deputy. As Minister for Transport, I have responsibility for overall policy and Exchequer funding for the national roads programme. Once funding arrangements are put in place with TII, under the Roads Acts 1993 to 2015, and in line with the national development plan, NDP, the planning, design, development and upgrading of individual national roads comprise a matter for TII in conjunction with the local authorities concerned. TIl ultimately delivers the national roads programme in line with Project Ireland 2040, the national planning framework, and the NDP.

In the current NDP, which was launched in October 2021, approximately €5.1 billion is earmarked for new national road projects through to 2030. This funding will enable improved regional accessibility across the country, as well as compact growth, which are key national strategic outcomes under the national planning framework. 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. The N52 Tullamore to Kilbeggan project is included in the list of projects contained in the NDP.

The fact that the greater portion of the NDP funding for road projects becomes available in the second half of the decade means there was a constraint on the funding available for new projects in 2022 and 2023. However, most national roads projects in the NDP are being progressed. Projects such as the N52 from Kilbeggan to Tullamore, which did not have the required funding to be progressed, remain part of the NDP and will be considered for funding in future years. Allocations for projects in 2024 are being finalised and will be announced in the near future.

The route option selection phase was the subject of public consultation in September 2021, when the preferred route corridor was announced. Some work has been taking place on the finalisation of the route option selection phase. The project remains part of the NDP. The delivery programme for this project will be kept under review for funding in 2024 and future years and will be considered in terms of the overall funding envelope available to TII.

I absolutely agree with the Deputy that the issue of road safety has to be paramount in everything we do in transport. There has been a shocking increase in fatalities in the past two years and we need a variety of measures to address that. The reality of our funding programme is that not all the projects in planning or development, valued at some €100 billion, will be built in the next five to ten years. Bearing in mind these circumstances, I had a meeting with the board of TII some two weeks ago and made the point that we may have to consider immediate interim measures whereby, if there are particularly difficult junctions or sections of road, we can take remedial action to put road safety centre stage. It is something that TII's board and management are going to have to progress.

There are other ways in which we can improve road safety, which is critical. The 2:1 ratio exists for a practical purpose, which is to provide some of the alternative transport solutions, particularly rural public transport. To my mind, the Government is providing the latter. Every week, we introduce a new or enhanced public transport system, the key providers being the Local Link service and Bus Éireann. This, combined with the halving of public transport fares, is proving to be a great success, particularly among younger people. Along with treating, managing and investing in our roads, this is the best way forward to tackle road safety, save lives and, as the Deputy mentioned, improve economic development in every region of the country.

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