Micheál Carrigy (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister of State. She said that it is a critical strategic corridor for the north west and critical to our national development plan. However, the reply states that funding is in place to complete the route option selection process by quarter 2. Therefore, it will be stalled. I ask the Minister of State to tell the Minister that this needs to be prioritised. TII needs to make the funding available for that office, based in Mullingar, to continue its work on the N4 and bring it to a further stage, to a planning permission stage, and to compulsory purchase orders. It is not a significant amount of money. The vast majority of the funding is in the construction stage. We need to bring it to that stage. I am not hearing good soundings and I do not think that is acceptable. It is a vital piece of infrastructure for the entire midlands and north west and it needs to be prioritised. It needs to be brought to a planning permission stage, so if it is stalled for whatever reason, including a lack of funding, at least we will not have to go back to the start and start spending tens of millions of euro again, which we have already done. It needs to be done and needs to be prioritised. TII, in its funding for 2023, needs to set aside money to the National Roads Office in Mullingar to continue that process over the next 18 to 24 months.