Micheál Carrigy (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the Minister of State and thank her for taking this Commencement matter. Unfortunately, the Minister for Transport was unavailable, which is disappointing. I wish to highlight the matter of the extension of the N4 from Mullingar through Longford and on to Rooskey and County Leitrim. The Government launched the renewed National Development Plan 2021-2030 in October last year. This was the largest national development ever plan delivered in the history of the State, valued at €165 billion, with a particular focus on priority solutions to strengthen housing, climate ambitions, transport, healthcare, jobs growth in every region and economic renewal for the decades ahead. The Tánaiste stated that we needed to anticipate what the Ireland of 2040 will look like, what our jobs will be like and how we will travel and live.

With a rapidly rising population, Ireland needs to invest in big infrastructure. If we were to look at a map of Ireland and at the road infrastructure, in the context of the national development plan referring to balanced regional development, we would be struck by the fact that the only region not being serviced by a proper motorway or dual carriageway is the north west. I am referring to counties Westmeath, Longford, Leitrim, Roscommon, Mayo, Donegal and Sligo. This entire region is not being serviced. While a significant amount, in the hundreds of millions of euro, is being spent on the works on the N5 from Castlebar running towards County Longford and on the N4 from Sligo eastwards, there is a missing link. The project went to preferred route stage in 2008. It was later removed from the national development plan. It was included once more when Project 2040 was announced by the previous Government. In December 2021, Transport Infrastructure Ireland, TII, announced it had no money available to continue with the project. We understand that a significant number of families, including farmers and landowners, have been greatly affected by these delays and not knowing what will happen to their family land, homes, etc.

We received a reprieve earlier this year when a great deal of pressure came from public representatives. Money was found by TII to continue the project and identify an emerging preferred route. Based on the work that has been done, I expect this will be announced in quarter 1 of 2023. My understanding, though, is that this is where it ends. An increasing number of lives are being lost and serious injuries suffered on the current routes. Since 2008, we have had more than 20 fatalities, 34 serious injuries and 218 minor incidents.

The N4 transportation solution would support the Government's goal of balanced regional development by improving accessibility to the midlands and north west. A strategic corridor would be provided for reliable and safer road-based public transport in rural Ireland. It would also strengthen the tourism sector by linking Ireland's Ancient East with the Hidden Heartlands and the Wild Atlantic Way. It will not be possible to provide opportunities for active travel in towns and villages through the provision of dedicated walkways if we have continued congestion in a certain number of towns. On the way down west we can see this in Ballinalack, Rathowen and Newtownforbes. These may be small towns but they account for major bottlenecks.However, the reality is that we have a large number of landowners and householders who are in a state of suspension since 2006. That is 16 years and counting. They are unable to make decisions on what they can do with their property.

This particular project is a crucial one for the island of Ireland in the context of the Government's ambition for the national development plan. It is likely to take between ten and 15 years to develop if sufficient multi-annual funding is made available, and if coupled with the usual judicial reviews which seem to be commonplace in this country. This needs to be prioritised.

I mentioned earlier that if one looks at a map of Ireland, there is an entire region that is not serviced with that. I understand money has to be part of projects from 2026 onwards. However, my understanding is that if this project does not continue to planning permission stage, we will have to go back to the start again, which we already have. We will have wasted multi-millions of euro. Transport Infrastructure Ireland, TII, needs to make sure that funding is in place for this project and that the national roads office based in Mullingar will continue the process over the next couple of years and bring it down. The route and all the issues would be ironed out and compulsory purchase orders and planning permission put in place. If it has to be delayed due to funding for a year or two, so be it. However, we have a route and our planning permission. The landowners know where they stand and we do not have to go back to the start again. However, balanced regional development in the north west, and all those counties I have named, are entitled to the same opportunities as the rest of the country.