Billy Kelleher (Cork North Central, Fianna Fail)
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I welcome the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport, Deputy Ross, to the House to hear what I have to say. I will make it brief and to the point. We need to have ambition and vision for the greater metropolitan area of Cork. We now have a situation where the south link road is effectively at capacity with about 87,000 vehicles using that stretch of road every day. About 70,000 cars are using the Jack Lynch Tunnel every day. The Minister will come back to me and point out that the Government is going to invest a large amount of money in the Dunkettle interchange. Of course, that is not planning for the future, that is catching up with the present. These issues are a result of the demand that is now placed on the Dunkettle interchange. It is clear and obvious that Cork needs an outer, northern ring road and it needs to be planned. Initial planning was sought for this a number of years ago, however it was shelved in the downturn.

We are now in a strong upturn. We need to put in place solid, coherent plans to address the issue of the imbalance in Cork city and the Munster region. We need an outer, northern ring road from Killydonoghoe, north of the Glanmire bypass, stretching right across the periphery of the northern city, over Kerry Pike and down to Poulavone. We should now bring about the plans that were there and enact them quickly to ensure sustainable planning and development is put in place that will not diminish the chances of us actually building a northern ring road.

All of this is in the context of the expansion of the city boundary. We are going to have all this particular area inside the city limits so it is appropriate now for the Minister to use his office to show his imagination and vision and his capacity to look beyond the local issues of the Stepaside Garda station and plan for real regional development. The region and city is completely dependent on the tunnel at the moment. If anything happens to it, or if there is a catastrophic accident in the tunnel, or it is closed for a long time because of maintenance, or if there was major structural damage done to the tunnel which meant it closed for a long time, the region would stop. It is the only major arterial route across the River Lee from north to south. The deep water port and the airport are in the south. All the hospitals and universities are in the south, as is the institute of technology. It is the gateway to the broader south-west region. We are completely dependent on the tunnel for traversing from north to south.

A northern ring route should be developed to ensure we are not dependent on the tunnel. That would stimulate sustainable development over the short and medium term. Nearly all of the industrial development in the city is now taking place south of the river. It is almost impossible to get major multinationals or large companies to locate in the IDA centres on the northern side of the river. Kilbarry is a ghost town. There is now barley planted in it again. It is one mile from Patrick Street and it is growing barley. That is the contribution that park is making to development on the north side of the city.

For many reasons, we need a northern ring route. I implore and urge the Minister to be imaginative, like in the old days when he had the land use and transportation study, LUTS, which clearly marked out a vision for the future in planning and sustainable transport. We need the Minister to step up to the plate and ensure that we revisit the national plan including the northern ring road.

Shane Ross (Dublin Rathdown, Independent)
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I thank the Deputy for the opportunity to address this issue in the House.

As he is aware, the national development plan, which was published earlier this year in conjunction with the national planning framework as part of the Government's Project Ireland 2040 plan, sets out the major transport investments that are planned over the next ten years. I understood from the Topical Issue matter that was furnished to me that the Deputy was seeking to discuss the need for me "to carry out a full assessment of transport needs for the greater Cork metropolitan area in consultation with both local authorities and Transport Infrastructure Ireland". The Deputy will forgive me if I answer the question he tabled.

The national development plan makes it clear that the Cork local authorities, in partnership with the National Transport Authority and Transport Infrastructure Ireland, are finalising a Cork metropolitan area transport strategy. The national development plan includes a number of commitments in respect of transport in Cork. These commitments will be included in the Cork metropolitan area transport strategy, which will contain proposals relating to all modes of transport, including road network improvements; a revised, more extensive and higher-capacity bus system; enhancements to the commuter rail service, including additional stations; a future light rail corridor; and a number of bus-based and rail-based park and ride sites. The Deputy referred specifically to investment in roads. The national development plan proposes various major roads projects for Cork, including the N20-M20 scheme, which will link the cities of Cork and Limerick with a high-quality transport corridor. The Deputy mentioned the Cork north ring road, which will be examined as a part of the overall planning and design of the M20 scheme. The M28 project between Cork and Ringaskiddy and the N8-N25-N40 Dunkettle interchange upgrade scheme are also being pursued.

On the public transport side, the national development plan commits to the Cork BusConnects programme, which will deliver a revised bus network for Cork city. It will comprise the delivery of crucial bus corridors, enhanced services, cashless fares and account-based ticketing. As part of the delivery of this programme, a network of park and ride sites, serviced by the more efficient bus network, will be put in place. The Cork BusConnects programme has enormous potential to transform the bus system in Cork radically by making it much more efficient, reliable and attractive to new passengers. The national development plan also provides that the Cork transport strategy will include an evaluation of a light rail corridor to serve the increased population growth up to 2040 that is envisaged by the national planning framework.

The objective of the Cork transport strategy will be to provide a long-term strategic planning framework for the integrated development of transport infrastructure and services in the Cork metropolitan area over the next two decades or so. It will be used to inform transport investment levels and investment prioritisation over the longer and shorter terms. It will also inform sustainable integrated land use and transport policy formulation at strategic and local levels. The transport strategy is at an advanced stage of preparation. I understand that a draft is expected to progress to public consultation early in 2019. Feedback from the consultation process will be taken into consideration in the finalisation of the transport strategy for the Cork metropolitan area. As the Deputy may be aware, the Southern Regional Assembly is finalising a draft regional spatial and economic strategy for public consultation. Officials from the Department, the National Transport Authority and Transport Infrastructure Ireland have worked closely with the regional assembly on the transport elements of the regional strategy. The strategy will include a metropolitan area strategic plan for Cork, as set out in the national planning framework.

Billy Kelleher (Cork North Central, Fianna Fail)
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I thank the Minister for his reply. There is a small problem here. The northern ring road is mentioned on just one line of the national planning framework. The plan talks about the development of a motorway linking Cork and Limerick, which we would all welcome. The fact of the matter is that it is planned to build a motorway that will run into 19th century roads. We have no proper orbital route on the north side of the city. Such a route is needed for many logical reasons, most importantly, the greater development not just of the north side of Cork city but of the region as a whole. The region depends completely on the tunnel as the only way of moving from north to south. As I have said, all of the main infrastructure - the deep water ports and the airport - is in the southern part of the region. If anything were to happen to the tunnel, it could have catastrophic consequences for the economic development and the continued growth of the area. All of the Minister's eggs are in one basket. If we are to be brave and visionary, we need to accept that a north ring road needs to be developed to link the Dublin Road to the Poulavone area of Ballincollig. This is an essential infrastructural requirement for the greater good of the region and for the more balanced development of Cork city. The Minister knows the city well. Anyone who visits it will see quite clearly that the north side is unable to attract industry because of a lack of access. It needs to be opened up. I implore the Minister, in the interests of local and regional balance and for the sake of ensuring we do not continue to depend on the tunnel, to provide that the north ring road is included in any assessment of infrastructural development requirements in Cork in short and medium terms. There is a one-line reference to this project in the national development plan as it stands. It is mentioned in the context of the development of the M20 into Cork city.

Shane Ross (Dublin Rathdown, Independent)
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The Deputy has made a very strong case.

Billy Kelleher (Cork North Central, Fianna Fail)
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I thank the Minister.

Shane Ross (Dublin Rathdown, Independent)
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I am not questioning his familiarity with this issue. As he has said, the national development plan includes a reference to the Cork north ring road. He has described this as "a one-line reference". According to the national development plan, the scheme will be examined as part of the overall planning and design of the M20 Cork to Limerick scheme in the context of future linkages that might be "complementary". I have mentioned the Cork metropolitan area transport strategy, which will cover the period up to 2040. It is expected to identify the need for schemes such as the Cork north ring road, as well as the possible timelines for such schemes. This project is not off the agenda. As the Deputy can see, it is being considered. There is a reference to it in the national development plan, which says it will be examined. I am not sure that the Deputy can ask for much more than that, especially in light of the phrasing of the Topical Issue matter as submitted to me. It might have been better if he had referred specifically to the Cork north ring road, on which he concentrated throughout his remarks. I understood that we would be debating the need for "a full assessment of transport needs for the greater Cork metropolitan area in consultation with both local authorities and Transport Infrastructure Ireland".

Billy Kelleher (Cork North Central, Fianna Fail)
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Yes.

Shane Ross (Dublin Rathdown, Independent)
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As the Deputy is probably aware, such an assessment is already being done. I think he has made a strong case. I am not qualified to argue with it on the floor of this House at a minute's notice. The Topical Issue matter that was notified to me addressed something else. I will refer what he has said to my officials in the National Transport Authority and I will give him a more comprehensive answer thereafter.

Billy Kelleher (Cork North Central, Fianna Fail)
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I thank the Minister.