Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)

We are all behaving because the Senator is Acting Chairman. I thank Senator Byrne for giving me with the opportunity to explain the circumstances surrounding the recent decision of An Bord Pleanála on the proposal to bypass Slane village. I am responding on behalf of the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport, Deputy Varadkar, who regrets that he is unable to attend. He asked me to express his regrets to Senator Byrne.

I understand the extreme disappointment of residents from the Slane area because of the An Bord Pleanála decision. I acknowledge that the current situation is dangerous and that there is heavy congestion. I know the road and the area well and at times it is terrifying. This scheme was intended to divert traffic away from Slane's original stone bridge and the steep approaches to it from both sides, which has been a factor in a number of road traffic accidents. In particular, there are road safety concerns about the use of this route by heavy goods vehicles.

The Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport has responsibility for overall policy and funding on the national roads programme. The planning and design of individual national primary and secondary roads is a statutory function of the NRA under the Roads Acts 1993 to 2007. The NRA works closely with the local authority in whose administrative area the road is to be constructed, in this case Meath County Council.

An Bord Pleanála refused the scheme on a number of grounds, including that it was not satisfied that the alternatives to the bypass were properly considered, given that the bypass would be near Brú na Bóinne - a UNESCO world heritage site. In particular, it did not believe that a HGV ban in Slane was adequately considered.

The Minister, Deputy Varadkar, has asked the NRA, in conjunction with Meath County Council and the relevant stakeholders, to examine the detail of the An Bord Pleanála decision and how to respond to it. As the decision was only released by An Bord Pleanála yesterday, it will take time for a detailed considered response to emerge from either organisation. The Minister has requested this is to be done within 90 days.

However, it is not a case of selecting a new route at this stage. An Bord Pleanála did not reject the route chosen or suggest that another route would have received permission, instead the priority is to address the traffic safety concerns in Slane. Returning to An Bord Pleanála would only be possible if it could be clearly shown that traffic management in Slane was not possible and there was no alternative to the bypass.

A ban on HGV's through Slane is an issue for Meath County Council to address. Much work has been carried out on safety upgrades and traffic calming on the approaches to the bridge and, thankfully, traffic accidents have significantly reduced. Everyone who uses the route is aware of the issues.