Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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I thank the Ceann Comhairle for allowing me to raise this issue again. It is a very important one locally. I thank the Minister of State, Deputy Madigan, for coming to the House to reply. The issue relates to the local infrastructure housing activation fund, LIHAF, insofar as it relates to Maynooth. The town is heavily overtrafficked and relies on a LIHAF award of €10 million-plus to provide bridges, road realignments, footpaths and internal bypasses to facilitate development and the existing traffic, which is from floor to ceiling. It also applies, although in a different way, to Celbridge, which has similar traffic problems, and to Naas, which also has traffic problems. The award in the case of Naas and Celbridge was by Kildare County Council. We are still awaiting the full outcome.

In respect of Naas, a proposal was put to the local authority but it rejected it on the basis that it was not beneficial to a large part of the town. The excuse given at the time was that the people on the other side of the town did not object at all. However, nobody expected them to object because it did not make any difference to them. Traffic congestion and the population are increasing rapidly. There is a need to take serious action to alleviate the traffic congestion in a way that makes it possible for residents to exist in the area, notwithstanding the traffic, and at the same time allows the traffic to flow. If traffic does not flow, everything closes down. At peak times in all the towns concerned, there is a serious problem with traffic. Progress is progress and we have to have it, but the fact of the matter is that while it is possible to alleviate many of the problems, action has to be taken in the very near future.

I had the temerity to table a question way back in January. The reply explained the situation but did not solve the problem. I tabled another question last week but I will tell the Minister of State about that later.

Josepha Madigan (Dublin Rathdown, Fine Gael)
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I thank the Deputy for raising this issue, which I am taking on behalf of the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage.

LIHAF is a scheme that funds the building of public infrastructure by local authorities. Its objective is to provide public off-site infrastructure to relieve critical infrastructure blockages to housing delivery. This enables the accelerated delivery of housing on key development sites in Dublin and in urban areas of high demand. The scheme was designed specifically to address the issue of housing supply, a crucial factor in moderating house prices. Infrastructure being funded under LIHAF includes access roads, distributor roads, link roads, road improvements, roundabouts, bridges and parks. The scheme funds roads projects insofar as they open up access to housing land and is not designed to fund more general traffic-management solutions.

In 2017, grant agreements for 30 approved projects were signed between the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage and local authorities. These include two projects in County Kildare, at Naas and Maynooth. As the Deputy is aware, the Naas inner relief road project was cancelled by Kildare County Council following the rejection of the Part 8 planning application for the road by the elected members of the council in mid-2019. As the infrastructure was not proceeding, the LIHAF funding agreement was cancelled at that time.

With regard to the LIHAF project at Maynooth, Kildare County Council is liaising with a range of stakeholders, including my Department, to advance the Maynooth eastern relief road, MERR, project. The discussions are ongoing. I am informed that Kildare County Council published, on 6 December last year, the Maynooth Eastern Relief Road – Compulsory Purchase Order 2022 and that the process is ongoing.

The Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage currently has no other funding allocated or project agreement in place with Kildare County Council to facilitate any housing-related road infrastructure in Naas or Celbridge.

While the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage has responsibility at central government level for the local government system generally and certain specific functional or service areas, such as planning, housing and fire services, responsibility for policy, funding, legislation, and general oversight and accountability at national level in respect of a number of functions of local authorities rests with other relevant Departments. Accordingly, with regard to any new traffic management proposals beyond those concerning specific infrastructure to open up development land for housing, it is a matter for Kildare County Council to bring these forward in the first instance. Overall responsibility for roads policy and funding at a national level rests with the Minister for Transport. I hear what the Deputy says in that while it is possible to alleviate problems, action is required and traffic needs to flow, especially at peak times. However, that there are ongoing discussions should be of some solace to him.

Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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I thank the Minister of State for that detailed and very accurate reply. The issue remains that there has to be progress. Since 1 January, I have expected progress. It is necessary, for all the reasons the Minister of State mentioned. The reply I received the other day is the same as the one I received in January. I have some experience in tabling parliamentary questions. The Minister is a very nice and respectful guy but I was a little taken aback by the cryptic note of the reply. He is a lovely guy and I know he would not in a month of Sundays authorise the issuing of a reply to a parliamentary question of the kind received; however, there are people who put a tick on each parliamentary question before it is circulated. There are six in all, at various levels. I ask them to think about this because disrespect for people who ask parliamentary questions is something I will not tolerate. Any time this happened in the past, it became a resigning matter. We all have to live up to our reputations.

The last point I want to make concerns Celbridge, and it is slightly different. The local authority had an agenda there and showed a video of traffic going in both directions at relatively high speeds at an existing bridge. I said the proposal would not work, that some of the traffic would overlap and that there would be an accident. This was dismissed completely but during the course of the showing of the video, it is exactly what happened. It was not amusing but just goes to show that a little local knowledge is no harm at all times. I ask that all those concerned who are dealing with the three subjects I have mentioned be given a call to inform them there is now a need for absolute urgency and commitment.

Josepha Madigan (Dublin Rathdown, Fine Gael)
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Local knowledge is indeed important. I am aware that the Deputy, in particular, has acute knowledge of his constituency and its environs in relation to traffic schemes. LIHAF is proving successful in its objective to ensure key infrastructure requirements are being funded to allow new housing to proceed. In specifically addressing the issue of housing supply, it can also be a factor in moderating house prices.

On traffic management proposals more generally, it is important to note that local authorities provide in excess of 1,000 services on behalf of over 30 public bodies. The provision of Exchequer funding is made on the basis of policy responsibility at national level. The locus of responsibility at national level is determined by where the policy responsibility lies, not by the fact that the services are delivered by local authorities.

The Minister for Transport, whom the Deputy mentioned and who I agree is a nice guy, announced details of a €626 million investment programme for 2023 for regional and local roads, including funding of €26 million under the specific grant category for smaller-scale road improvements. These grants comprise a mix of schemes, including bridge works and measures to improve safety, such as junction reconfiguration, together with schemes to alleviate traffic congestion in towns and improve access to centres of education, businesses and public transport. The Deputy may consider exploring whether this funding may more appropriately address the traffic management concerns he has raised. Kildare County Council is liaising with many stakeholders, including the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage, on the MERR project and other matters. I thank the Deputy for his interest in this matter.