Jennifer Whitmore (Wicklow, Social Democrats)
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I thank the Minister of State, Deputy Rabbitte. I know this is not her area, but I acknowledge that the Minister for Transport, Deputy Eamon Ryan, is at an important meeting and could not make it.

I want to raise the issue of the funding for the N11-M11 scheme. It was a project that was being funded under the Transport Infrastructure Ireland, TII, allocation announced recently. It was funded for phase 1 and phase 2. Phase 1 started in 2018. The project was to deal with the huge traffic congestion on the N11 we experience in Wicklow. It has been acknowledged by TII that the N11 is not fit for purpose, that the traffic volumes exceed efficient operating capacity, that there are issues with safety and that the road is hazardous, having a collision rating twice the average. That is why it was so fundamental that there was funding.

As I said, an initial project, comprising phase 1 and phase 2, was funded. When we saw the allocation for 2022, it appeared that the funding for the project had disappeared. There was no mention of it. It has completely fallen off the radar and there is no clarity on what happened with the funding, why it was pulled and whether it will be reinstated.

The issues with the N11 are interesting because major consultation on the project was carried out. The public clearly said from the start of the process that they did not want more road; rather, they wanted the road to be made safe and they wanted public transport. Public transport is a major issue for people in north Wicklow because we do not have enough of it. It appeared that was the conclusion reached by the consultants that carried out this project, in conjunction with Wicklow County Council.

That seemed to be the conclusion they were coming to as well. At the end of phase 2, they expressed their belief that this project was about maximising the existing infrastructure, making it safe and ensuring there was suitable public transport alternatives, such as bus corridors. Now it seems that has all disappeared which is a concern for people in the area. In particular, the issue of the bus route is a major concern.

There is a parallel project, the interim bus corridor project, because obviously the major scheme would take several years to complete. I am also unsure as to what is happening with the funding for that interim bus project. It would appear that €1.2 million has been set aside for it but I believe that is only for the area within the remit of Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council and will not lend itself to any major expansion of a bus corridor in the Wicklow area which again is a major issue. Anyone who has travelled that road will know that there are major roadblocks there. The congestion causes major problems to commuters every day.

As I mentioned, public transport needs to be a major part of the solution. Unfortunately, Government Members within the constituency appear to be using this as an opportunity. There is considerable spin, indicating that there is major investment in public transport in Wicklow. There is no major investment in public transport in Wicklow. There are no timelines or funding plans for the major initiatives. They are essentially just words written in a document that stretches out to 2042. There is major development in north Wicklow and in Wicklow in general. We need the public transport and the infrastructure to match that development.

Anne Rabbitte (Galway East, Fianna Fail)
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I thank the Deputy for raising this matter. She has acknowledged that the Minister, Deputy Eamon Ryan, is away. The response I have comes from him and his Department.

The national roads programme is managed by Transport Infrastructure Ireland, TII, and is delivered in line with Project Ireland 2040, the national planning framework and the national development plan. Once funding arrangements have been put in place with TII, the planning, design, improvement and upgrading of individual national roads is a matter for TII, in conjunction with the local authorities concerned.

A key priority in the NDP is to maintain the quality and safety of the existing national road network. The NDP foresees an Exchequer allocation of approximately €2.9 billion for the protection and renewal of existing national roads over the ten-year period to 2030, excluding about €1 billion on public private partnerships, allocated evenly across the decade.

Furthermore, approximately €5.1 billion will be spent on new national road projects across the lifetime of the revised NDP to 2030. This funding will enable improved connectivity across the country, particularly in rural areas, as well as compact growth in town centres, which are core components of the revised NDP. This funding will allow for new national road projects which are at or close to construction stage to proceed. The greater share of the funding will become available in the latter part of the plan, with €4 billion to come on stream in the second half of the decade and €1.1 billion earmarked for the period 2021 to 2025.

Proposed national road projects that are at earlier stages of development by TII are subject to further approvals in advance of a decision to construct. When evaluating the progression of these projects and to deliver on strategic objectives, a prioritisation of expenditure between and within TII's "protection and renewal" and "new projects" categories is required, including which new projects should progress. That prioritisation is in line with the programme for Government commitment for a 2:1 split on funding for new public transport and new roads, the national investment framework for transport in Ireland, NIFTI, the national planning framework and the requirements of the climate action plan. The N11/M11 upgrade project is included in the list of projects to be progressed during the period covered by the NDP.

The N11/M11 junction 4 to junction 14 improvement scheme is included as a major project to be progressed in the NDP. The TII peer review of the emerging preferred option took place on 24 June 2021. Wicklow County Council commenced the public display of the preferred option on 30 August 2021 and this ran until 4 October 2021. The options selection report was published in December and is available on the project website.

A component of this scheme, the bus priority interim scheme, has been allocated €1.2 million in 2022 to progress the provision of a dedicated bus lane between N11/M11 junction 3 and junction 6, between Loughlinstown and Bray. The allocation is intended to progress the bus priority measures toward statutory approval. This will be the initial phase of the overall proposed improvements to the N11.

Allocations for all national road schemes, including those in the NDP, are considered on an annual basis and planning and design on the subsequent phases of the scheme will be progressed in that context.

Jennifer Whitmore (Wicklow, Social Democrats)
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I am still confused because the Minister of State has said that the projects under TII are being allocated to align with the Government commitment to a 2:1 ratio of funding on new public transport and new roads. She also said that the upgrade is still included in a list of projects to be progressed under the NDP. I am not sure whether it means that project will still go ahead and it did not get funding this year or whether it has just fallen off. Perhaps the Minister of State could ask the Minister for clarity on that.

I fully support the need to have public transport and that is where the focus should be. Unfortunately, we are not seeing that public transport being made available in Wicklow. Locals and commuters are having major problems with the 185 bus in Enniskerry. There are capacity issues and timing issues. They are looking for that to be resolved and it is not being resolved. There are issues like that throughout the county. The Connecting Ireland plan is this great scheme for the entire country. Only €5 million has been allocated for County Wicklow this year. That is not the kind of transformative investment we need in public transport. The DART to Wicklow town has been mooted as if it is a certainty. Again, there is no plan, funding or timeline for that.

Some €3 million has been spent on this road project already and I imagine that several consultant reports have been done on it. I would be interested to know exactly how much has been spent. I know that €250 million has been spent on the metro with no infrastructure to show. I wonder if the N11 will be our equivalent where we pump all this money in and do not see any improvements.

There is a very local issue relating to this as well. Any houses on the route will not be able to get planning and people not be able to sell their properties. We need to find out exactly what is happening with the project. It cannot be allowed to hang around for the next year or two before there is clarity. People need clarity.

Anne Rabbitte (Galway East, Fianna Fail)
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As I mentioned the full N11/M11 junction 4 to junction 14 improvement scheme remains on the list of projects included in the NDP. The bus priority interim scheme represents an initial phase of this wider scheme. While funding has not been provided to progressing planning and design on the main scheme within the current year, the subsequent phases will be progressed later in the plan. Approximately €660 million of Exchequer capital funds have been provided to TII for national roads in 2022. In line with the NDP and Government policy, TII is allocating national road funding to local authorities for 2022 in a manner which seeks to achieve the following: protection and renewal of the existing network, progress of major projects in or near construction and progress of major projects which are pre-construction.

The Deputy has asked three separate questions. She asked for clarity, which I will seek. She asked about plans and funding for the DART to Wicklow. She pointed out that €3 million has been spent to date but asked about the plans to spend in the interim for the people of Wicklow given the problems with planning.