Paddy Burke (Fine Gael)
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I welcome the Minister of State, Deputy Áodhan Ó Ríordáin.

Thomas Byrne (Fianna Fail)
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I also welcome the Minister of State. I am raising an important issue that I have raised many times previously. I want the Slane bypass project to be included in the Government's capital plan which I understand from media reports will be published sometime in July. This is really important, not just from the point of view of the North-South N2 connection but also for the safety and security of the residents of the village of Slane.

The previous Government put the project before An Bord Pleanála which, unfortunately, for a number of reasons over three years ago refused planning permission. A lot of slow and laborious work has since been done by Meath County Council and the NRA and the Minister has become involved at various times. Following that work, I understand the county council and the NRA have come to the conclusion that the only option from a traffic perspective is to build a bypass and make another planning application. They have looked at all of the alternatives which would make the situation much worse. Any of the other alternatives proposed such as diverting traffic through other areas or toll-free holidays on the roads will not solve the problem and, in many cases, would make it worse.

We are seeking a statement that the Government is committed to the project. Because it had taken it out of the capital plan - there was no list published by the Government - that sent a signal to An Bord Pleanála that it was okay to refuse planning permission. It is relatively unusual for An Bord Pleanála to refuse planning permission for road projects with which, all other things being equal, the Government wishes to proceed. Therefore, I appeal to the Government to include this project in the capital plan. There have been positive noises from Ministers and local Deputies. However, if the project was included in the Government's plan, we would have the money and it would also be a signal from Government to the planning authority that this was a strategically important national issue. The project is important to the people of Slane. It is also important in opening up the N2 and creating the North-South link that everyone wants. I look forward to the Minister of State's response.

Aodhán Ó Ríordáin (Dublin North Central, Labour)
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I am taking this Commencement matter on behalf of the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport, Deputy Paschal Donohoe, who apologises for not being here as he is at a Cabinet meeting.

The Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport has responsibility for overall policy and the funding of the national roads programme. The construction, improvement and maintenance of individual national roads are matters for the National Roads Authority under the Roads Acts ,1993 to 2007, in conjunction with the local authorities concerned. Within its capital budget, the assessment and prioritisation of individual national road projects are matters for the NRA in accordance with section 19 of the Roads Act. The NRA is responsible for deciding on the annual allocations to individual road authorities. Ireland has just under 100,000 km of road in its network and the maintenance and improvement of national, regional and local roads places a substantial financial burden on local authorities and on the Exchequer. Given the national financial position, there have been very large reductions in roads expenditure in recent years. Funding in 2008 was €2.3 billion, while funding this year is approximately €730 million for the national, regional and local road network. The reality is that the available funds do not match the amount of work that could be undertaken. For that reason it is not possible to progress a range of worthwhile projects and the main focus must be on the maintenance and repair of roads together with a safety focused minor works programme. For now, only a small number of new national road projects are being progressed to construction stage.

I understand the planned road improvement scheme for Slane was originally progressed as a single carriageway scheme, however the feasibility study for the N2 route recommended a dual carriageway for the Slane bypass. The proposed scheme, which was approximately 3.5 km in length and would pass to the east of Slane village, was submitted to An Bord Pleanála for approval. The grounds for the refusal of permission for the bypass in 2012 included the fact that An Bord Pleanála was not convinced that all possible traffic management alternatives had been fully explored.

Statutory responsibility for traffic management rests with the local authority and following An Bord Pleanála's decision, Meath County Council, in liaison with the NRA began evaluating traffic management options. The most recent Slane traffic management reviewwas undertaken by Halcrow Barry on behalf of the council and published in February this year. It is a matter for Meath County Council to liaise with the NRA in relation to how best to proceed at this point. The Roads Act 2015 provides for pre-planning consultation with An Bord Pleanála, and given An Bord Pleanála's previous decision to refuse permission it would seem to make sense for Meath County Council to initiate such discussions.

There is no escaping the reality of limited resources and the indications are that funding will remain tight for the coming years. While the Minister has, he hopes, stabilised the funding position, the scope for any new improvement projects depends on the availability of additional capital funding in the future. Once the new capital plan is published the Minister will assess what can be done to address particular bottlenecks taking into account development consent requirements.

Thomas Byrne (Fianna Fail)
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I accept what the Minister said about the need for Meath County Council to engage in pre-planning consultation with An Bord Pleanála. That is welcome. However, the Minister and the NRA should take the lead to encourage Meath County Council to do that. If the project is included in the capital programme the council will have to do it and everything will have to be done to make sure the project comes to fruition. While there is a clear and important role for Meath County Council and the NRA in the matter, the Government's capital plan is crucial.

Aodhán Ó Ríordáin (Dublin North Central, Labour)
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I will relay those comments directly back to the Minister. I appreciate the Senator's contribution in regard to the matter.