Marcella Corcoran Kennedy (Offaly, Fine Gael)
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I thank the Minister, Deputy Ross, for coming to the House to give me some information on this matter. The N62 is a critical artery through Offaly and the midlands. It links the M6 at Athlone and continues to the M7 at Roscrea and the M8 at Horse and Jockey. It is crucial that the road, which is a national secondary road, be maintained to the highest possible standard because we require it to ensure we can develop our social, economical and cultural offerings in the area. We need access to our power station, forestry and for industrial purposes. We need access to develop the rural economy. We have a very good business park in Ferbane, which has a food campus, and we need good access there.

Unfortunately, some parts of the road are deteriorating, particularly in Ferbane as one heads out of the town towards the Gallen Priory nursing home. A significant piece of the road really and truly is in a dreadful state and needs to be upgraded. We then move onto the roundabout at Cloghan, which is in a particularly poor state. I understand a design has been drafted for public consultation. Good consultation will find an agreement on the design because a solution needs to be found. It is an unusual junction with five roads leading into it. Another measure is required at Boolinarig Cross, which is a very unsafe junction. The speed of traffic along that route means it is frightening to try to exit from those two routes onto the junction.

A number of people are living along those two routes. There is a lot of agricultural activity and ordinary domestic activity along them. A total reconfiguration of that junction is required to help people to exit onto the N62. I understand there has been a little bit of work on it in the past. Agreements with landowners have been negotiated or are certainly in progress. It seems to me that this junction should be prioritised. Further south on the N62, there are concerns about access onto the N52 at Kennedy's Cross. Perhaps that could be examined as well.

I want to impress on the Minister the importance of the N62 to west and south County Offaly. When I was on the midlands regional authority many years ago, we looked at a development plan for the midlands region. There seemed to be a drive to downgrade the N62 at that time. I am glad this did not happen. Along with the other councillors who were members of the authority, I fought to make sure the N62 retained its status as a national secondary route. If that status was allowed to deteriorate, it would be terribly damaging to those of us who live in the area. I must acknowledge that some excellent work has been done on the N62 between Cloghan and Ferbane in recent years. The hard shoulders on that stretch of the road are very narrow, however. I know it is particularly challenging because of the peat foundation. There have been occasions when large vehicles have been pulled off that road, in effect. That has not happened of late, thankfully, but it has been an issue in the past. I impress on the Minister the need to prioritise the N62 in the interests of the west Offaly area.

Shane Ross (Dublin Rathdown, Independent)
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I thank the Deputy for raising this important issue. I appreciate the importance she attaches to the development of the roads in her locality. When I visited the area recently, the Deputy helpfully and kindly showed me the dangerous roads in respect of which measures are needed. We will look seriously at such measures.

As Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport, I am responsible for overall policy for and funding of the national roads programme. The planning, design and implementation of individual national road projects is a matter for Transport Infrastructure Ireland, TII, under the Roads Acts 1993 to 2015 in conjunction with the local authorities concerned. The assessment and prioritisation of individual projects is a matter in the first instance for TII within its capital budget and in accordance with section 19 of the Roads Act 1993. Ireland has a road network of just under 100,000 km. The maintenance and improvement of national, regional and local roads places a substantial financial burden on local authorities and the Exchequer. The national financial position led to large reductions in the amounts of Exchequer funding available for roads expenditure in the years of financial crisis. For this reason, there has been a focus on maintenance and renewal rather than major new improvements in recent years. I envisage that the emphasis on maintaining current assets will continue into the next capital plan period. The 2016-21 capital plan, Building on Recovery, and the capital plan review allocations mark a significant step forward in restoring funding to the levels needed to maintain the road network in a steady-state condition and allowing for some investment in road improvement schemes. The allocations and planned projects for the first years of the proposed ten-year capital investment plan will align with the existing capital plan as supplemented as part of the capital plan review.

I understand from TII that it has invested approximately €8.3 million in upgrade works on the N62 in County Offaly since 2012. Additional funding of €369,000 has been provided by TII for road safety improvement schemes on the route. I accept the Deputy's argument that this is not enough. I acknowledge that further great improvements are needed on this road. After ten years of retrenchment, there are many potential national, regional and local road improvement projects across the country. The scope for progressing new road improvement projects will depend on the capital funding allocated to the Department under the proposed ten-year capital investment plan. As there are many competing demands, the appraisal and prioritisation of projects in line with the requirements of the public spending code and the Department's capital appraisal framework will be central to assessing which suitable major and minor national road projects can be advanced. We will bear in mind the high priority the Deputy has attached to this road and the excellent case she has made for it this evening.

Marcella Corcoran Kennedy (Offaly, Fine Gael)
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I am sure the Minister will not mind if I take advantage of his presence in the Chamber by mentioning the N52 in the hope that we might get a link from Kilbeggan to Tullamore. The Minister will appreciate the importance of this project in light of his recent visit to the area. I remind him, in the context of the specific improvement grants he mentioned in his response, that many roads in west and east Offaly are built on peat foundations. According to the guidelines on the rehabilitation of roads over peat, such roads require works to be carried out on them four to five times more often than roads that are not founded on peat. We can see as we traverse the county that the current funding allocation is not really sufficient to cover all the roads built on peat foundations. I can clearly see the deterioration in roads built on cutaway bogs. I would also like to take advantage of the Minister's presence by mentioning the inner relief road that is required in Edenderry. He will be aware of the work that Offaly County Council has put into this 1 km stretch of road. It is ready to proceed. I would also like to mention the R400 from Rhode to Portarlington, which is part of the link between the M6 and M7 motorways. Rhode business campus is accessed from this strategic route. I would appreciate it if the Minister could look at the question of peat foundations and impress on those who are carrying out our policies that extra funding is needed in County Offaly for these purposes.

Shane Ross (Dublin Rathdown, Independent)
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The Deputy was present in Edenderry recently when a comprehensive presentation was made to me about peat foundations. The relief road was also highlighted on that occasion. It is imprinted on my mind because I have come across it twice in recent weeks, thanks to the Deputy and her colleague, the Minister, Deputy Flanagan. I will bear it in mind. I appreciate what Deputy Corcoran Kennedy has said on the issue of peat foundations. I know there is a greater need. The permanence of roads built on peat foundations is extremely questionable. I am happy to acknowledge what the Deputy is saying. Her colleague, the Minister for Justice and Equality, was there for that presentation as well. In her opening statement, Deputy Corcoran Kennedy mentioned a junction, the name of which I am afraid I cannot remember because the Deputy took me on rather a rollercoaster ride through west and south Offaly. If there is a safety issue, that is certainly a matter of great priority. That will always be an issue I will consider very seriously. If the Deputy can point particularly to road fatalities, I will certainly bring the matter to the attention of TII, which is making road safety a priority above everything else on the instigation of many people in this House and my Department.