Ossian Smyth (Dún Laoghaire, Green Party) | Oireachtas source

It was a pleasure to meet the Deputy in Killarney at the Black Valley last week when fibre broadband was being connected to the Black Valley. This is a sign of the Government's commitment to bring good infrastructure all around the country, including Kerry and Killarney. I thank the Deputy for giving a very detailed geography of the issues facing people using the existing road and the need for upgrades. This is all useful information.

The Minister for Transport has asked me to answer the question on his behalf. He has responsibility for overall policy and Exchequer funding regarding the national roads programme. Once funding arrangements have been put in place with TII under the Roads Acts and in line with the NDP, the planning, design, improvement and upgrading of individual national roads is a matter for TIl 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.

The Government has earmarked €5.1 billion for capital spending on new national roads projects from 2021 to 2030 as part of the NDP. This funding will enable improved regional accessibility throughout the country as well as compact growth, which are key national strategic outcomes. The funding will provide for the development of numerous national road projects, including the completion of projects that are already at construction stage and those close to it as well as the development of a number of others. As the greater portion of this funding becomes available in the second half of the decade, this has meant there is a constraint on the funding available for new projects in 2024. However, approximately €411 million of Exchequer capital funds were provided for national roads through TII to local authorities in 2024.

Having regard to the funding constraint outlined above, it was not possible to provide an allocation to all national roads projects in the NDP for 2024. However, many new roads projects did receive funding. In addition, approximately €2.9 billion has been earmarked in the current NDP for the protection and improvement of the national road network. This funding is spread relatively evenly across the decade and will ensure the major investment that has taken place in the network in recent decades is safeguarded. It will also assist in delivering safer roads for all road users.

The N22 Killarney to Farranfore project would deliver improvements to approximately 27 km of the N22 as well as a bypass of the village of Farranfore and an outer bypass of Killarney. It is important to point out that the project remains part of the NDP and I can assure the Deputy that sufficient funding is in place to ensure the route options phase of the project will be concluded in 2024, so a preferred route will be selected in 2024 for this project. As with all national roads projects in the NDP, the delivery programme for the N22 Killarney to Farranfore project will be kept under review for 2025 and in future years and will be considered in terms of the overall funding envelope available to TII.

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