Tim Lombard (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister of State for his comprehensive response. The information he gave is important and shows the activity on the N71. However, the real issue is that it is piecemeal. There is a project here and a project there, a bypass is proposed for Bandon which is slowly going through a process which will be welcome, but there is no overall plan for the 180 km. What the Minister of State outlined for the N71 is fantastic but we need to look at this in the context of a road from Bishopstown all the way to Glengariff, which is what we seek. The communities want this road developed. They want cycle lanes and to know where the bus corridor will be. There is so much they need to know. It is being done piecemeal where a co-ordinated approach is needed to tie all this together in a ten or 15 year plan for delivery. Great work is happening every 18 months but we do not know what will happen in the next 18 months. There needs to be a longer timeframe and a coherent plan needs to be put in place for the next decade.