Joe McHugh (Donegal North East, Fine Gael)
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Question 350: To ask the Minister for Transport his views on a petition (details supplied) that was presented to him in September 2008 in response to his Department's consultation strategy on Transport 21; if he will undertake a feasibility study on this project; if the petition is still with his Department; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4551/10]

Noel Dempsey (Meath West, Fianna Fail)
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The petition referred to in the Question was highlighted in the Deputy's submission to the public consultation process undertaken in 2008 on a future sustainable transport strategy for Ireland. The submission, which was made electronically, indicated that the petition would be forwarded by post. A summary of the more than 480 submissions to the consultation process is set out in the final strategy approved by the Government and launched by me in February 2009. As the strategy is a policy framework to guide travel and transport to the year 2020 it does not deal with specific projects such as the ones proposed by the Deputy. Full details of the submissions and the policy response are set out on www.smartertarvel.ie. Future investment in new road and railway networks are influenced by needs studies undertaken by the NRA and Iarnród Éireann. The present capital investment for these networks is set out in Transport 21 Programme. Given the existing priorities and the curtailed level of public funding for investment there are no plans to carry out feasibility studies on the projects referred to by the Deputy in his submission.

Finally, I understand that the Deputy's office was in touch some time ago enquiring whether the petition is still in my Department. There is no record of the petition being received in my Department.