Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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258. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport the extent to which he is mindful of the requirements for the upgrading of the Naas - Newbridge - Sallins bypass and the Osberstown interchange - Monread Road roundabout in County Kildare, with a view to addressing the issue in the short term, in view of the likely economic benefit to the immediate area and the country at large, in terms of the alleviation of traffic congestion; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24039/15]

Paschal Donohoe (Dublin Central, Fine Gael)
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As Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport, I have responsibility for overall policy and funding regarding the national roads programme. The construction, improvement and maintenance of individual national roads is a matter for the National Roads Authority under the Roads Acts 1993 to 2007, in conjunction with the local authorities concerned. With regard to the Osberstown interchange and the Sallins bypass the improvement and maintenance of regional and local roads is the statutory responsibility of each local authority, in accordance with the provisions of section 13 of the Roads Act 1993. Works on those roads are funded from local authorities' own resources, supplemented by State road grants. The reality is that the available funds do not match the amount of work that needs to be done to maintain existing road infrastructure or address demands for new road improvement projects.

Funding this year is around €730 million for the national, regional and local road network. Unfortunately, the current financial realities are such that the budgets proposed for my Department for 2016 and 2017 indicate that capital funding will continue to be very tight, and my ability to progress new projects  is limited. I acknowledge it is important to restore over time capital funding for the transport sector to ensure that infrastructure is maintained but, as of now, I am not in a position to give a commitment in regard to funding of the projects in question, although I acknowledge their national and local importance.