Jim Daly (Cork South West, Fine Gael)
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Ba mhaith liom sa chéad áit mo bhuíochas a ghabháil le oifig an Cheann Comhairle as ucht cead a thabhairt dom an t-ábhar tábhachtach seo a phlé sa Teach inniu. I welcome the opportunity to speak. I appreciate the permission I have been given by the office of the Ceann Comhairle to raise this issue. I would like to congratulate the Minister, Deputy Donohoe, on his promotion to the Cabinet and, more importantly, on his appointment as Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport, which means he has responsibility for road safety. I acknowledge the efforts of the Minister's predecessors in that Department - the Ministers, Deputy Varadkar and Kelly, both of whom helped me when I raised on the floor of the Dáil on numerous occasions the issue of the N71 route in west Cork . I appreciate their assistance. I would also like to wish the Minister, Deputy Donohoe, every good luck in his new role. I look forward to working with him.

While this is an old chestnut, it is very important to me and to the people I represent. During the boom years when the so-called Celtic tiger was flowing, the people of west Cork were always amazed to find that they did not seem to exist when decisions were being made on infrastructural projects like schools building and road development. Thankfully, this Government has addressed much of the decline in the schools building area. I am extremely grateful for the substantial school building programme that has taken place, even in these times of very limited finances. However, we have made no progress with the National Roads Authority on the N71. When I was the chair of the western committee of Cork County Council, I led a delegation that met representatives of the authority almost ten years ago. The last time money was spent on the N71 was in 2003, when a 1 km bypass was built around Skibbereen. Although some moneys have been spent on maintenance, etc., nothing serious or worthy of note has been done in the 11 years since then.

We have a wonderful product in west Cork. I know the Minister is familiar with the area. Like many Members of the House who like to come to west Cork, he will have enjoyed the product we have down there. We are very proud of what we have to offer. Unfortunately, the N71 access route presents huge challenges, particularly at this time of the year. I say that to provide some background. A number of accidents have taken place at a particular junction and an adjoining stretch of the N71, which is no more than 500 m long. Unfortunately, there have been some extremely tragic fatalities at this location. Most recently, a young girl was fatally injured in a tragic accident at this spot. When such fatalities happen, we are all reminded that we have a duty which goes above and beyond politics and money. It is literally an issue of life and death. There have been four incidents along this 500 m stretch of roadway already this year. There were seven serious incidents involving the fire brigade and some fatalities last year. In 2012,12 official incidents were recorded along this 500 m stretch.

The figures are there. The National Roads Authority is well aware of the issue. As public representatives, we want to raise this issue and we have a responsibility to do so. I plead with the Minister, who is responding to his first Topical Issue since he took up this office in recent days, to approach the National Roads Authority and ask it to make direct and proactive contact with Cork County Council. This is a matter of life and death. I am not exaggerating any of the facts, although I wish I was. Too many tragedies have taken place on the tiny stretch of road that needs to be addressed. I will not go into the engineering details of the road on the floor of the Dáil other than to say that two bends need to be removed. I would like the Minister, Deputy Donohoe, to ask the National Roads Authority to take a proactive approach. He should also ask Cork County Council to address this issue immediately, irrespective of the demands on its funds and its time. The Minister should be then in a position to confirm to me whether this is a priority for the National Roads Authority.

Paschal Donohoe (Dublin Central, Fine Gael)
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I thank the Deputy for raising this matter and for his kind comments on my appointment. I am aware that he has been working on and raising this issue for a very long period of time. I understand completely the importance that attaches to the improvement of this route, not only for safety reasons but also because it plays an important role for the Deputy's constituency and the broader country. In light of his involvement in local government and his membership of this House, the Deputy will be aware that the various figures involved in this area have different levels of responsibility. As Minister, I have responsibility for road network funding and policy. The National Roads Authority is responsible for the planning, design and implementation of individual projects. The local authorities deal with all matters relating to traffic management.

I am aware that tragedies, losses of life and injuries have occurred on or near the location to which the Deputy is referring.

As I am sure the Deputy is aware, the National Roads Authority undertakes the ranking of our roads on a periodic basis with regard to safety concerns and examines collision data to assess the safety of the area and the road. I understand work on this road was undertaken last year at Bohonagh, which is east of the section of road to which the Deputy refers.

The Deputy began and ended his contribution by asking whether I would make contact with the National Roads Authority to ask for a further update on this matter and to determine whether further remedial and safety work should be prioritised for this section of the road. I confirm that I will do that. I appreciate why this is a concern for him, his constituents and the communities who use the road. I will contact the National Roads Authority and ensure that a report and an update is furnished to the Deputy about a matter he has been campaigning on and raising for some time.

Jim Daly (Cork South West, Fine Gael)
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I appreciate the Minister's response and the willingness he is showing towards this project. I look forward to working with him. My plea is twofold: the bigger issue of the upgrade of the N71 and the need for political prioritisation. I debated that on the floor of the House with some of the Minister's predecessors in the Department at ministerial level. As politicians, we have an obligation to prioritise issues. We ensure there is provision for collecting the water charges and taxes associated with that, therefore, we must have a say in where the money is spent, and I am determined to see that money come to west Cork. It is long overdue. I do not know what the previous Fianna Fáil-led Government had against west Cork and why, in times of plenty, it decided not to invest a cent in upgrading the N71. Those days are gone. I cannot do anything about that but I can raise it today and I assure the Minister I will be constant in my calls to get funding for the N71 through the NRA, and I would appreciate the support of his good office.

I will make two points about this stretch of road. As the Minister pointed out, the NRA did some remedial works last year at Bohonagh, in Rosscarbery. Unfortunately, that moves the problem further west because if two bends are taken out and the road widened, motorists approach the next bend faster. That is the problem, and it is the result of years of neglect and lack of investment in the N71. It has to be addressed in the macro sense but in the short term we must deal with remedial works on the approach to Rosscarbery. Rosscarbery is a beautiful village-town, which is very popular. The locals know the stretch of road and, thankfully, there have not been many accidents involving locals but it is a very popular tourist area and people will not be familiar with it.

There is a request on the Minister's desk for a deputation from Cork County Council led by my colleague, Councillor Noel O'Donovan, in west Cork to lobby for funding for this project. Such is the depth of anxiety among the people locally to get this issue addressed a farmer has offered to donate his lands, which is an extraordinary gesture. The story was carried in the local newspapers recently. I would not expect any farmer to donate lands but he has offered to donate the land at that stretch of road free of charge to the NRA. That is an indication of the depth of feeling among the local people. It would be remiss of the NRA not to accept that serious offer and be proactive on this issue. I appreciate the Minister's offer to deal with it and look forward to getting a report on it.

Paschal Donohoe (Dublin Central, Fine Gael)
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I will respond to the two points the Deputy made about the road itself and the particular section of road to which he referred. Regarding the road itself, I am now engaging in reviewing our capital spending plans, in other words, the money we will spend on roads and other projects for the coming years. There are many priorities and issues that need to be addressed in that regard. The Deputy has long raised the issue of what has happened to the N71, therefore I will take into account the point he made about the broader road and what needs to be looked at, while appreciating that this will be done in the midst of having to make choices with regard to how and where we spend money available for infrastructure. I heard the Deputy clearly about the money needing to be spent in that area.

On the second point about safety, I will be contacting the National Roads Authority to update it on this debate and ask that it reverts to me, and to the Deputy, with an update on what has happened and whether safety work should be prioritised at the location, and the ranking process to which I referred earlier. I will ensure the Deputy is made fully aware of that. I will ensure also that the National Roads Authority is aware of the extraordinary offer from the farmer in the Deputy's community, which indicates to me how seriously the matter is being taken by the people he represents. I thank the Deputy for raising the matter and with regard to the safety matter, I will ensure he is furnished with a report on foot of this debate.