Seán Kyne (Galway West, Fine Gael)
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To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport if the funding from central Government supplied for a road project (details supplied) in County Galway contained any stipulations on the prioritisation of public transport on the road. [43969/12]

Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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The Bishop O'Donnell/Seamus Quirke Road Improvement Scheme in Galway City consists of a widening to dual carriageway of 1.6km of the existing single carriageway and allows for bus and cycle lanes in each direction. I understand from Galway City Council that it was a condition of An Bord Pleanala's planning decision that bus lanes were to form part of the road scheme.

Funding in the region of €2.5 million has been provided by my Department since 2010 for the bus priority aspect of the scheme under the Regional Cities Public Transport Programme and an allocation of €1million has also been included under the Programme in 2012 for the continuation and completion of the QBC. The Regional Cities Programme is being administered on behalf of my Department by the National Transport Authority (NTA). The local authority also received funding in respect of the Road Improvement Scheme under my Department's  Regional and Local Roads Investment Programme and from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF).

It is a matter for the relevant local authorities in each city to prioritise projects and apply for funding each year under the Regional Cities Programme. In this regard Galway City Council applied for funding from my Department initially in 2010 for the provision of a QBC as part of this scheme. I understand from the local authority that this section of carriageway was identified as part of the key East/West transport corridor in both the Galway Strategic Bus Study and the Galway Public Transport Feasibility Study.