Éamon Ó Cuív (Galway West, Fianna Fail)
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495. To ask the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht the number of meetings that have been held between her departmental officials, including those working for the National Parks and Wildlife Service, and the national roads office of Galway County Council on the development of a method statement for the upgrading of the N59 road from Maam Cross to Oughterard; the dates of these meetings; when a full draft method statement regarding this road was submitted to her Department for agreement; the proposed date of the next meeting between her Department and the national roads office; when it is expected there will be sign-off on this project; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [8114/16]

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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My Department has been proactive in its engagement with Galway County Council from the outset of this process and has invested a significant amount of resources in assisting the Council to meet its obligations under the EU Habitats Directive. My officials and the National Roads Office of Galway County Council have met five times on these matters, as well as being in touch by phone and email, since September 2013. The first meeting took place at my Department’s request on 2 September 2013 and subsequent meetings occurred on 27 February and 27 June 2014, and 2 February and 10 March 2015.

A full draft method statement has not been submitted to my Department for agreement. The Council submits method statements for discrete elements of the works. The length of time that it takes for my Department to consider method statements is determined primarily by the quality and robustness of the method statements provided by the Council, and the number of clarifications or level of further information required to ensure Ireland meets its obligations under EU law.

Accordingly, it is not possible to give a timeframe for sign-off of the project. My officials intend to further engage directly with the Council on a number of occasions over the coming weeks. It is a matter for the Council to produce the required method statements such that the statements are in keeping with the legal obligations and having regard to the conditions of the planning permission.