Michael Moynihan (Cork North West, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Ceann Comhairle for the opportunity to raise the issue. There are three parts to it. Charleville, County Cork, is one of the busiest towns in the Munster region and the N20, the main road between Cork and Limerick, goes through it. The Minister of State is very familiar with it and I thank her for the many times she has visited in a constructive way to help us, particularly with St. Joseph's Foundation in Charleville. It is a road about which there have been ongoing discussions. It was to be bypassed many times. The project was stopped in 2011 and is now back on track again. We have seen fatalities on the street in Charleville over the last while. It is a dangerous road in a busy, bustling regional market town, and all the traffic is coming through. There are a number of issues. There are short-term issues in relation to placing raised tables at either side of the town to slow the traffic going through, to ensure that traffic is not travelling at speed and that there is proper consideration for everybody on the main street in Charleville to ensure that it is safe. There is the medium-term solution which is to have a relief road within Charleville, which is of course at the heart of the Munster region. There is a hugely developing and developed engineering sector within Charleville, which goes way back, since the time of the Golden Vale factory. A huge number of people are employed there and it is a fantastic place to set up business. Many of the businesses that are set up there are advancing and developing further. We need a relief road in the medium term. The long-term solution is to ensure that the N20 is constructed. It is the most vital piece of infrastructure. It connects our second and third cities, Cork and Limerick, leading on to Galway and bringing connectivity right across that region. I ask for an update on what is happening with the bypass, which will be the great enabler for Charleville. Over the last number of months, there was a massive announcement of €5.2 million for the development of the main street and the provision of facilities there under the rural regeneration and development fund. That is a massive redevelopment of Charleville, which will get it ready for development down the line. I know that the Minister of State has a brief from the Department. Today, I seek updates on the short-term, medium-term and long-term solutions. The long-term solution needs to be brought back and prioritised.

There is concern in all of us that it might be long-fingered. We are led to believe there is progress being made on it. I would like to see if that briefing is available to the Minister of State for today's discussion. It is important from Charleville's point of view and for the safety of people who are doing their business on the main street, where there have been recent fatalities, that they can continue to grow and provide a service for the communities they serve across the region and that Charleville is prioritised within the budget of TII and the Department of Transport.

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