Joe Carey (Clare, Fine Gael)
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1137. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport to allocate the necessary funding to Clare County Council to complete the northern relief road in Ennis in County Clare; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [10189/16]

Shane Ross (Dublin Rathdown, Independent)
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​The improvement and maintenance of regional and local roads in its area is a statutory function of local authorities in accordance with the provisions of Section 13 of the Roads Act, 1993. Works on such roads are a matter for the relevant local authority to be funded from its own resources supplemented by State road grants. The initial selection and prioritisation of projects to be funded from these monies is a matter for each local authority. In this context my Department does not have a recent application in relation to the completion of the northern relief road in Ennis.

Given the cutbacks in State funding for regional and local roads since the financial crisis, it has been necessary to curtail the grant programme for major new regional and local road schemes and for major realignment schemes in order to protect the funding available for the maintenance of the existing network. It has not, therefore, been possible to provide funding for a range of road improvement schemes.

The Capital Plan published by the previous Government in September 2015 provides for the gradual build up in expenditure on the maintenance and improvement of the road network over 7 years. The bulk of expenditure is scheduled to be spent on maintenance of the road network with some limited investment in new projects. A Northern Relief road for Ennis is not one of the projects included in the Capital Plan.

When allocating grant funding my Department has emphasised that the commitment of local authorities to contribute significantly from their own resources towards the cost of improving and maintaining the regional and local roads network is essential and that full consideration needs to be given to utilising the Local Property Tax to boost own resources expenditure on regional and local road maintenance and renewal.

John Curran (Dublin Mid West, Fianna Fail)
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1138. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport his plans to manage road traffic incidents, breakdowns and accidents on the M50 given the number of such in recent months; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [10225/16]

Shane Ross (Dublin Rathdown, Independent)
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​Under the Dublin Transport Authority Act 2008, the preparation of a Transport Strategy for the Greater Dublin Area (GDA) is a statutory function of the National Transport Authority (NTA). The statutory objective of the Strategy is to provide a long-term strategic planning framework for the integrated development of transport infrastructure and services in the GDA.

The development of the newly published Strategy has been informed by a full public consultation, as well as detailed analysis of population and travel trends and has been subject to a full cost benefit analysis in line with the Public Spending Code. My predecessor approved the Strategy on 24 February pursuant to section 12(13) of the Dublin Transport Authority Act 2008 and the document has now been laid before each House of the Oireachtas and published.

The New Partnership Government is committed to a "Social Economy" model to deliver a strong economy and a fair society. I am advised that the GDA Strategy will contribute significantly to the "Social Economy" and will assist in the delivery of more sustainable patterns of economic growth. The Strategy is fully in line with the Capital Plan and will be instrumental in the development of the new National Planning Framework which will promote higher urban densities in terms of housing design, particularly in public transport corridors. Outcomes include reduced travel times on the strategic road network, an increase in sustainable travel modes from 44% to 55% for commutes and the facilitation of more efficient use of land within the GDA.

Under the 2008  Act the NTA must review the transport strategy every six years following publication. The Act also requires the NTA to now prepare an integrated implementation plan which must be submitted within 9 months. That plan will set out how the NTA proposes to implement the Strategy over the next 6 years and will be subject to a full public consultation in advance of seeking my approval.