Michael Moynihan (Cork North West, Fianna Fail)
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I thank the Ceann Comhairle for the opportunity to raise this issue. Ballymaquirk junction is on the N72 between Mallow and Killarney. It is extremely dangerous and there have been numerous accidents there, right up to recent weeks. The road is a major artery for people coming from Kanturk and the Duhallow region, including western Duhallow, the area right up to Rockchapel, Newmarket, Meelin and the area heading towards Cork. The issue is crossing the Mallow–Killarney road to the Banteer Road, which extends to Nad and Cork. Those with local knowledge are fully aware of the importance of the junction, its danger and what needs to be done there. Last year Councillor Bernard Moynihan produced a number of petitions on the junction and obtained over 4,000 signatures. As anyone in public life knows, that is not an easy number of signatures to obtain. It indicates the importance of the issue, including to local people.

The matter has gone to Cork County Council, which has carried out a feasibility study or prepared a road safety remedial scheme report for the Department and Transport Infrastructure Ireland, TII. The council has been working to try to resolve the issue. Since the N72 is a national secondary route, funding would have to come from TII. It is critical that safety measures be implemented immediately at the junction. There is a lot of talk about what should be put in place. What are the plans of TII for the junction, and what is the timeframe? We do not want any delays. The junction has been identified as dangerous. It has been identified as such by the local authority, the Department and TII. It affects the locals from Duhallow and right across the region, whether they are turning towards Banteer from the Mallow-Killarney road, crossing the junction from the Kanturk side, or going the other way, from the Banteer side towards Kanturk. There is a significant volume of traffic at the junction going towards Cork city, especially between 6 a.m. and 8 a.m. and between 4.30 p.m. and perhaps 7 p.m. A high volume of traffic crosses with no safety procedures whatsoever.

It is extremely important to address this. I hope TII and the Department will take the matter as seriously as the people within the Duhallow region and north Cork because we need an answer. I understand that a proposal has been made to TII by senior executive engineers from Cork County Council. I understand it has been accepted by the latter and that it has accepted there is a safety issue. There are all kinds of road safety plans but this is one of the key issues in north Cork and the Duhallow region. It behoves the Department and Minister to step up to the plate and ensure there is funding for the works to be done as soon as possible. Has the Department accepted the county council's report? What is envisaged? When will the paperwork be done regarding Part 8 and so forth to ensure this dangerous black spot is eliminated?

Brendan Griffin (Kerry, Fine Gael)
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I am responding on behalf of the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport, Deputy Shane Ross, because there is a Cabinet meeting taking place. I thank the Deputy for raising the issue.

I am quite familiar with the N72. As the Deputy knows, it extends from Killorglin and Killarney to east Kerry, through Rathmore, and then over to the Deputy's constituency. It is a road I often take if I am heading to the midlands, south Tipperary or Kilkenny. There are some very dangerous sections on the road and it is very busy. I acknowledge how busy it is at peak times, in particular. Certainly at this time of the year, it is a difficult road on which to travel. There is a lot of heavy traffic, including industrial and agricultural traffic.

TII has primary responsibility for the national and secondary road networks. The process is that the local authority would submit to TII and that the TII officials would then decide, under the various categories, which projects would receive funding. The projects are to be announced very early in the new year, as I understand it. The road to which the Deputy refers is a candidate for the funding.

I am sorry I do not have the information at hand but I undertake to make direct contact with those concerned and make a specific inquiry to obtain the exact details. I will try to get back to the Deputy as soon as possible, ideally tomorrow, to let him know what is happening. I will keep in touch with him during the process because I appreciate that this is of concern to him. A serious safety concern at any location is one we all want to see addressed.

With regard to the specific case, I understand it might come under the minor improvements scheme, which was born out of the road safety strategy. I understand that, to date, TII has funded 42 projects under the scheme and it is committed to a minimum of four per annum. I need to establish whether the location in question will be considered for 2019 but I will revert to the Deputy with the information.

As the economy and Exchequer returns continue to improve, it is critical that we catch up where we have not been able to address infrastructural deficits in recent years. Effectively, we have a decade of catching up regarding our road network. There are black spots around the country, such as the one referred to, that have not been addressed to date. As long as they are not addressed, there will be a risk to human life and of serious injury. We all want to see them addressed.

I will speak to the Deputy afterwards. I will try to obtain as much information as I can from the Department and TII and I will also try to give the Deputy a timeline as to when we are likely to have news on the scheme, the level of oversubscription to the scheme, and the heading it comes under within the TII ask. Every year there is a queue of very worthy projects from all over the country for which funding is sought but unfortunately there is simply not enough funding to meet the demand. TII has a statistical mechanism, based on collision data, for establishing the priority cases requiring funding. I will try to obtain as much information as I can for the Deputy.

Michael Moynihan (Cork North West, Fianna Fail)
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Did the Minister of State receive any briefing from TII before taking this Topical Issue matter? Is it not normal for the Department to look for a briefing? Can the Minister of State confirm that a feasibility study has been submitted by the council and that TII has agreed to consider the design? Does the Minister of State have that information?

Brendan Griffin (Kerry, Fine Gael)
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No-----

Michael Moynihan (Cork North West, Fianna Fail)
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I refer to a parliamentary question dated 17 July. It states a feasibility study had been prepared and submitted by TII. The Minister of State has come into the Dáil to respond to the issue I have raised. The issue was a reserve Topical Issue matter last Thursday.

Today is Tuesday and the Department has not received any briefing from TII on this, which I find extraordinary. I will speak to the Minister of State afterwards and take up his offer. I am looking for information on whether the documentation submitted by the county council has been studied and assessed and whether TII has come to a conclusion on how to move forward. Has it agreed with the county council what type of road safety measures are needed to be put in place at Ballymaquirk? As I have said previously, this is a matter of life and death. The junction in question is extremely important for my constituency, particularly the areas north and west of the Duhallow region where people use it to on their way to and from work in the city and beyond. I ask the Minister of State in the first instance to get a full briefing from TII on its proposals for Ballymaquirk and a timeline for implementing the urgently needed safety measures.

Brendan Griffin (Kerry, Fine Gael)
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To be as frank and open as I possibly can be, someone somewhere in the Department dropped the ball on this one. I was given details of a question asked by a different Deputy Moynihan on a different national road. This is why I do not have a specific briefing on the N72. It is not acceptable that a Deputy asking a question on a Topical Issue matter would not be given specific answers.

Michael Moynihan (Cork North West, Fianna Fail)
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It is absolutely appalling and shocking. We have a life and death issue for the people of Duhallow. Ballymaquirk junction is used by thousands of people daily. The Department has given an answer the wrong question.

Brendan Griffin (Kerry, Fine Gael)
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It is not acceptable. I am not defending it.

Michael Moynihan (Cork North West, Fianna Fail)
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I know the Minister is elsewhere trying to close down rural Ireland but to come in and answer the wrong question on an issue as important as this for the people of Duhallow is appalling. The Minister and Minister of State should be ashamed of themselves.

Pat Gallagher (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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I assure the Deputy I will raise this matter with the Ceann Comhairle. It is not the question that was asked.

Brendan Griffin (Kerry, Fine Gael)
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In my defence, my understanding was that I was answering the other Deputy Moynihan on a different question and I was filling in to answer that question.

Michael Moynihan (Cork North West, Fianna Fail)
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The people of Duhallow do not matter to the Minister of State.

Brendan Griffin (Kerry, Fine Gael)
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It is not acceptable that the wrong response was given to the Deputy. For this reason, I have undertaken to immediately pursue this specific case. That the Deputy has raised it on the floor of the Dáil indicates the matter is clearly important in his constituency. I acknowledge he frequently makes requests on road safety issues in various locations in his constituency and it is only the priority cases that make it to the floor of the Chamber. I appreciate this is an issue of significant importance. I also apologise on behalf of the Department because the Deputy should have been given the correct answer. I certainly should not have been given a response to a question the Deputy did not ask. Unfortunately, that is what happened. I had no way of knowing that was the case until I saw the Deputy arriving. I will undertake immediately to seek a correct response for the Deputy.

Michael Moynihan (Cork North West, Fianna Fail)
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If I am correct, the question the Minister of State answered was actually asked last Thursday and answered by the Minister.

Brendan Griffin (Kerry, Fine Gael)
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I will have to receive clarification on that.

Michael Moynihan (Cork North West, Fianna Fail)
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If the Department is not capable of answering on a Topical Issue matter, it is a fairly-----

Brendan Griffin (Kerry, Fine Gael)
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As I said, I have given a very clear undertaking to give the matter my urgent attention I will raise it with the senior Minister and seek an urgent response for the Deputy.

Michael Moynihan (Cork North West, Fianna Fail)
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The Minister is too busy closing down the place.

Brendan Griffin (Kerry, Fine Gael)
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It is not acceptable to the Deputy or the House that the wrong response was given.

Michael Moynihan (Cork North West, Fianna Fail)
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It is outrageous. If the Minister of State were on this side of the House, he would not tolerate it either.

Pat Gallagher (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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It is not good enough to have the wrong answer given on a Topical Issue matter. I will bring this to the attention of the Ceann Comhairle and see what amends can be made within the next day.