Cathal Byrne (Fine Gael)

Last night, I attended a public meeting of approximately 600 residents from Wexford, south Kilkenny and Waterford to discuss a 6 km stretch of road along the N25 where, tragically, there have been 12 fatalities over the past 12 years. There was a phenomenal turnout from the local area. This stretch of road is the main carriageway taking people from Wexford, through south Kilkenny, to Waterford. Hundreds of thousands of journeys are made every year along this stretch of road. Tragically, the people who lost their lives have endured so much trauma. That was very evident from their contributions last night. Among the speakers were representatives from the Irish Farmers Association who spoke about the difficulties that tractors and farmers are having, together with agri-contractors, on that stretch of road. A representative from the Irish road haulage industry spoke about the enormous difficulty it is posing for trucks and lorries. Most important of all, the turnout included people who spoke on behalf of families who have suffered loss along that stretch of road. I place my support four-square behind that campaign to see an upgrade of it.

The representatives last night included the CEO of Kilkenny County Council, who spoke about the difficulties it is having in engaging with TII and with a block of funding coming through to allow the upgrade works to that road progress. I place my support behind the campaign's call for greater engagement from the Minister for Transport, TII and Kilkenny County Council, and for the individuals in decision-making roles within those organisations, including the Minister, to get together and co-operate so there can be an improvement for road safety and users along that stretch of road. I express my appreciation to the committee members for their invitation to last night's meeting. I look forward to their second meeting at the end of September when, hopefully, clear, tangible outcomes and improvements will have been progressed for them.