Fergus O'Dowd (Louth, Fine Gael)
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I welcome the Minister, Deputy Shane Ross. The question of tolls and their impact on the local environment, businesses and for local people on social visits crossing north-south from my town and into east Meath, and the opposite way as well, is a hugely important issue for people in my constituency. The real issue here is that nobody objects, in my view, to the main toll booth at Gormanston. Everybody accepts that that is a national primary route and that one should pay the toll there. There are significant charges on the slip roads into Drogheda, for example for somebody who wants to travel from Tullyallen north of the town to the railway station or to cross down to Laytown or Bettystown. It is €19 a week, which is basically €1,000 a year. That is a huge penalty for a local, short journey.

Congestion is an issue. I have a letter here from Transport Infrastructure Ireland and it says that when it was initially put in, it was to protect the residents of Drogheda from rat-running that would occur due to traffic wishing to avoid the main toll plaza at Balgeen. The opposite has happened. I hope the Minister, Deputy Ross, visits us shortly and I would be delighted to host him and show him. As one comes through the village of Julianstown, there is significant traffic there for 20 of the 24 hours in the day. For all of the business working day, from 6 a.m. to maybe 8 p.m., there is a constant, unending stream of traffic. They are people who are avoiding the toll and coming to live in east Meath in many cases. The other issue is at the north side of Drogheda, at Mell, there are the same huge traffic volumes and congestion. I think the impact of the local tolls is unnecessary and is unacceptable to the people. I ask the Minister to address that issue in his reply.

The other facts that arise include the income for local rates. In other words, the tolls pay a rate to Meath County Council and Louth County Council. Meath County Council gets a sum of €484,000 per year from the rateable valuation of the tolls, whereas Louth County Council gets a value of €218,000 per annum. That money goes to the county councils and none of it is spent on the town most directly affected - the town of Drogheda - by this imposition on citizens wishing to travel north to south in their town. The Minister needs to come to Drogheda to meet the councils and to encourage a significant investment in the local road infrastructure, which has never been upgraded since the very significant volume of traffic increased as a result of the imposition of the tolls.

In particular, Julianstown is in a very difficult and serious situation. It needs a proper and effective bypass. I believe that this money should be spent proportionately over a number of years on improving all of the road infrastructure in east Meath, particularly around the Platin factory, which is very dangerous. It is a speed trap and there have been a number of deaths on the main road itself. The R152, where it comes from the intersection south of Drogheda going in through the Platin Road, is fine until comes to the Meath boundary and then one is back to the road network as it was 40 years ago. That is a significant issue that must be addressed and I will talk about it in my second period of time.

Shane Ross (Dublin Rathdown, Independent)
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I thank Deputy O'Dowd for raising this issue, which I know from experience is greatly important in the area, and has caused a great deal of dissatisfaction for many of his colleagues and himself.

This is a matter for Transport Infrastructure Ireland, TII. I am happy to reiterate the current position and to be as helpful as I possibly can regarding the M1 slip toll at Drogheda. As Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport, I have responsibility for overall policy and funding for the national roads programme. Within its annual budget, the planning, design and implementation of individual road projects, such as the N4, is a matter for TII under the Roads Acts 1993 to 2015 in conjunction with the local authorities concerned. Furthermore, the statutory power to levy tolls on national roads, to make toll by-laws and to enter into agreements relating to tolls on national roads is vested in TII under Part V of the Roads Act 1993 as amended. The contractual arrangements relating to M1 tolls are therefore matters for TII. There is no provision under the legislation under which I, as Minister, could review the toll charges on the M1. As the Deputy may be aware, the issue of M1 slip road tolls has been brought to my attention on a number of occasions by various stakeholders, including Drogheda & District Chamber of Commerce and local Deputies, including some of Deputy O'Dowd's colleagues.

Arising from a parliamentary question from Deputy Munster last year, I undertook to raise the issue of the tolls on the Drogheda slip roads at a meeting with TII that took place in early August 2016. Following this meeting, TII briefed my Department on the 2002 toll scheme and the findings of a 2012 study of the implications of the removal of the tolls at the north-facing slip roads at M1 junction 9. In the 2012 study, two scenarios were considered. The first involved removing ramp tolls only and the second involved removing ramp tolls and increasing the mainline toll. The study concluded that significant levels of additional traffic would divert to local routes such as the R152 through Duleek and the R132 through Julianstown, with thousands more vehicles per day affecting the safety, quality of life and commercial viability of these communities.

In addition, both scenarios would have substantial financial implications because TII would be contractually required to compensate the public private partnership, PPP, company for losses arising out of any change. Under the first scenario, it was estimated that between €6 million and €7 million would have to be paid to the PPP company in the first year, increasing each year to 2034. Under the second scenario, given the higher rates of diversion off the M1, it was estimated that mainline tolls would have to be increased by between 40% and 60%. It is important to point out that the aim of the Donore ramp toll plazas was to mitigate possible rat-running with adverse impacts on local communities. In response to concerns expressed about the possible impact on business in Drogheda, the approved toll scheme allows vehicles to exit the motorway, having paid a toll, and re-enter within three hours, with no further charge. I hope this clarifies the position for the Deputy and I am happy to forward a copy of the briefing that TII provided on the matter.

The Deputy is not alone, but I understand that what I have outlined is the current situation. It certainly leaves causes for discontent, to which the Deputy referred.

It is a little difficult for me, not having been there, to be fully cognisant of the difficulties which are caused in certain areas which Deputy O'Dowd pointed out. I have said to the Deputy here that, provided other local representations of the areas are notified as well, and I can notify them, I would be happy to come and see it for myself because I have addressed this on several occasions previously. It appears, from what Deputy O'Dowd and others say, that this solution is not satisfactory. I would be happy to visit and see it again.

Fergus O'Dowd (Louth, Fine Gael)
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I welcome the commitment of the Minister to visit and view it. It is important that he does. That is hands on, and I welcome that.

The Minister will see the significant need for what we are talking about, particularly on the east side of Drogheda, to allow port-bound traffic avoid in total the town of Drogheda. We need a new bridge to carry traffic, north and south, and a proper road network - the northern cross route - to link up with the motorway.

The problem is that all of this was built by the then Fianna Fáil Government, which cared nothing for local democracy and which stuck it in Drogheda because that is where it thought it would get away with it. That is a charge which, in my view, is true and accurate.

However, I accept it is there. We need a plan, with the Minister's presence and with the local authorities. We should invite the local authorities, that is, Meath and Louth county councils, to that meeting to talk about the improvements that are needed in the road network locally to make up for the significant deficit there in proper transport infrastructure.

The Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport is the key Department for increased funding for roads in Drogheda because if it is not a national primary route, it is the responsibility of the Department. I would like to put a shopping list on the Minister's desk in this regard but I welcome and respect the Minister's commitment.

At the end of the day, it is to let a town breathe, live and grow. The town is growing significantly. Drogheda is the largest town in Ireland. It has no council, has no proper administrative infrastructure and has poor local road structure. I welcome the Minister's intention to visit and I look forward to that shortly.

Shane Ross (Dublin Rathdown, Independent)
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I will conclude by thanking the Deputy. I should mention that provided he would have local councillors at the meeting-----

Fergus O'Dowd (Louth, Fine Gael)
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Of course, and Members of the Oireachtas-----

Shane Ross (Dublin Rathdown, Independent)
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-----including Councillor Kevin Callan-----

Fergus O'Dowd (Louth, Fine Gael)
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-----and all the Independent councillors.

Shane Ross (Dublin Rathdown, Independent)
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-----who has also made representations, I would be happy to do so. When we have issues such as this which arise and which have been addressed, and which have not been sorted, it is certainly worth looking at them again.

Fergus O'Dowd (Louth, Fine Gael)
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Good stuff.