Maria Byrne (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I wish to raise two issues and one of them is public consultation, which I have just come from, on the M20 motorway between Limerick and Cork. This is a very special day because it is the first time that we have seen the proposed routes. The public consultation will go live at 12 o'clock today.

I pay tribute to the team from the Limerick City and County Council that were the lead on this and I pay tribute to the consultants who were involved in this process. The 700 landowners along the route will be consulted in the coming weeks. They will be invited to attend meetings in either Limerick or Cork or virtually online, whichever suits people.

All of the preferred routes are up. It is important that the public, especially the people who live along the route, make their choices known, engage in a public consultation and have their say. It is expected that the route will be presented to An Bord Pleanála within the next two years. I urge people to get involved in the process. I am disappointed that it is still not clear whether we will have a motorway or a dual carriageway. That is the most disappointing thing that I took from the consultation today.

Finally, I welcome the fact that the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage, Deputy Darragh O'Brien, was in Limerick on Monday. He met representatives of Co-operative Housing Ireland and attended the launch of a project where 71 families had moved into their new homes. This fantastic project is located at Baunacloka Heights, Mungret, County Limerick. The project was started under Building Ireland, which was overseen by the former Minister, Eoghan Murphy, and I compliment him on his efforts. It was great to see that 71 families had moved into their new homes, which are located in a beautiful area, and I wish them all the best of success. The new inhabitants have already set up a residents' association. They were out picking up litter and doing different things.