Pádraig O'Sullivan (Cork North Central, Fianna Fail)
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68. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport about the progress that will be made on the Mallow relief road in the coming months given recent allocations from his Department; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11867/24]

Pádraig O'Sullivan (Cork North Central, Fianna Fail)
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I ask the Minister for an update on the progress that will be made on the Mallow relief road in the coming months given the recent allocation he announced.

Eamon Ryan (Dublin Bay South, Green Party)
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I thank the Deputy for his question on this project, which I know is of real interest to him. Approximately €411 million of Exchequer capital funds have been provided for national roads through Transport Infrastructure Ireland to local authorities this year. Of this, approximately €57 million was included for both Cork city and county to advance the roads projects in the region. I am pleased to advise that an allocation of €300,000 has been made available for the Mallow relief road. This scheme consists of a bypass of Mallow with the objective of removing east-west traffic from the town centre. This will provide increased scope for development and public realm improvements in Mallow town centre, greatly benefiting residents. As such, the project is in line with the Government’s commitment to promoting compact growth in our cities and towns, which is also a national strategic outcome.

The preferred route option for the scheme was identified last year and following this a public consultation took place. The project is currently in the design and environmental evaluation phase. The funding of €300,000 provided as part of the 2024 allocations will now allow the project to be progressed through the planning and design process.

Cork County Council has mobilised the technical advisers for the project and is reviewing the status of environmental surveys and other preparatory works previously carried out to support a planning application. This review will establish if information collated to date is still valid and if further work may be required to support the planning application. While the review has not yet been completed, it is hoped it will be possible to complete a preliminary business case in 2025, as is required under the infrastructure guidelines, along with an application for planning permission next year. I look forward to seeing this project advance over the next number of years.

Pádraig O'Sullivan (Cork North Central, Fianna Fail)
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I acknowledge that Deputies Stanton and James O'Connor advocated for this project long before I did. I also acknowledge the allocation of €300,000 the Department of Transport has contributed towards its progression. Cork County Council initially sought more than €1 million. I think it estimated it would cost €1.2 million to progress the project. While I acknowledge that €300,000 will get the ball rolling, there is a shortfall between that allocation and Cork County Council's estimated cost for the works. What will that shortfall mean? This issue has been politicised in the town of Mallow. While I acknowledge the positive announcement as regards the allocation, some people are suggesting that the shortfall will cause the project to be delayed in some way. Will the Minister clarify what the shortfall will actually mean?

Eamon Ryan (Dublin Bay South, Green Party)
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There is no intention to delay the project. I do not have any evidence that insufficient funding was provided for any reason. TII has to make the decision on the necessary allocations. There may sometimes be differences between what a council and TII consider should be the next allocation expenditure. TII has the real expertise and responsibility in this area. The allocation was made to be able to do the necessary work to advance the project. There is nothing else intended in that regard. I do not have details as to why the council had a different figure but I do not think anything should be read into that. The intention is to proceed along the lines set out in my response and I am sure the council will work with TII in that regard. Sometimes these things can be used for disinformation purposes and there will be all sorts of rumours but the facts as set out show that the work has to be done and we will fund the progress of that work.

Pádraig O'Sullivan (Cork North Central, Fianna Fail)
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To be honest, the intention of my question was to get this on the record. As the Minister alluded to, there is a lot of disinformation that the project is somewhat stalled again. It is good to get that information on the public record. What will be the process for getting additional funding to kick the project on further if, in six or seven months' time, the €300,000 allocation is exhausted? Will the Minister clarify that?

Catherine Connolly (Galway West, Independent)
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Deputy Stanton would like to contribute before the Minister responds.

David Stanton (Cork East, Fine Gael)
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I support my colleague with respect to funding for this road. Is the Minister aware of the congestion in Mallow town where large vehicles are clogging up the main street and causing major pollution? Is it the Green Party's policy now to ensure we have pollution in towns such as Mallow? Why did the Minister give €7 million back to the Exchequer last year when he could have given €1.2 million to Cork County Council to advance this scheme to the planning stage? Does he agree that the delay in the project last year has put it back even further? We have lost a year and €300,000 is only a pittance compared to what is really required. It is very frustrating.

Eamon Ryan (Dublin Bay South, Green Party)
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Some €7 million was returned last year to the Exchequer but €2.7 billion was spent.

David Stanton (Cork East, Fine Gael)
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The Minister gave back €7 million.

Eamon Ryan (Dublin Bay South, Green Party)
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Yes, out of €2.7 billion.

David Stanton (Cork East, Fine Gael)
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It was needed in Mallow.

Eamon Ryan (Dublin Bay South, Green Party)
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With regard to the ordering of projects, the reality is we have approximately €35 billion within the NDP for a whole variety of projects, from public transport and active travel to roads.

David Stanton (Cork East, Fine Gael)
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The figure is €100 billion.

Eamon Ryan (Dublin Bay South, Green Party)
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We have €100 billion worth of projects. The timing of any one project and the necessity to expand or spend further funding on any project are matters for agencies such as TII, which often have a whole range of different projects to advance. In truth, some projects get stuck in the planning system. The biggest delays in projects are caused by judicial reviews or where further information is required or due to other conditions of the planning system. In that regard, if additional funding or finance is needed, to answer Deputy O'Sullivan, TII manage its portfolio projects in a way that delivers them in the most effective manner. We should be careful about making false promises to people that we can build every single project and deliver €100 billion worth of infrastructure within a timeframe for which €35 billion has been allocated. The portfolio approach is the right way to do it.