Paddy Burke (Fine Gael)

There will be tolls all over the country. As we can see, the cost of tolls is increasing daily. I am disappointed by the Minister's proposed solution to the problem. He says he is not happy with what the NRA has told him about the implementation of travelling through the tolls with the barriers up. He believes that easing the congestion on the M50 requires the implementation of the M50 upgrade project and, as part of that move, the opening of road tolling at the West Link. This entails 32 km of laneway on either side of the motorway and upgrading access on to the M50. The NRA informed us today that these measures cannot be accomplished separately. The Minister said this evening that he is not happy with the four-year period and believes that it can be done within a shorter timeframe. I can see from the prioritising of this that the people of Meath and Cavan will have to wait a further period because their counties will not be in phase one. Phase 1 of the project is between the N7 and the N4. There is a huge problem with three roundabouts on that access road on to the M50.