Tim Lombard (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

For the past 25 years we have been trying to get a relief road in Bandon. There was a public consultation in July 2022. However, Transport Infrastructure Ireland has not adhered to the timelines it put in place in July. I wrote to the Minister for Transport on the issue. I pointed out what Bandon has done in the past ten years, including flood relief schemes and mains drainage. The Minister has not come to Cork South-West since he became Minister for Transport. I asked him to come to Cork South-West and look at the issue in Bandon. Let us see if we can get TII to move forward with its own timelines. He will not even come down to Cork South-West. Ministers need to attend to every constituency and not just the ones in which they are elected. It is appalling that we have a Minister who has never once put a foot in Cork South-West in his role as Minister. He will come there on holidays, but he will not come down there to look at road infrastructure projects or anything else. Ministers will rotate around Dublin because it suits them. Ministers should be required to attend every constituency every year and not just cherry-pick the ones they want to attend. The frustration over this project not being moved ahead is frightening.