Imelda Munster (Louth, Sinn Fein)
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741. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport if he will ensure that funding for the N56 Letterkenny relief road will be included in the updated Government capital plan 2016 to 2021. [17647/17]

Shane Ross (Dublin Rathdown, Independent)
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As I outlined to the Deputy in my reply to a similar PQ (Ref: 1195/17 of 17 January 2017, as Minister for Transport, Tourism & Sport, I have responsibility for overall policy and funding in relation to the national roads programme. Within its annual budget the planning, design and implementation of individual road projects (such as the N56 Letterkenny relief road) is a matter for Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII) under the Roads Acts 1993-2015 in conjunction with the local authorities concerned.

Decisions on the transport elements of the Capital Plan 2016-2021 were framed by the conclusions reached in my Department’s Strategic Investment Framework for Land Transport. Based on the findings in that report it is envisaged that maintenance and renewal of the road network will continue to be the main priority over the next period and the bulk of the roads capital budget, approximately €4.4 billion, is earmarked for such essential work with a further €600 million allocated for implementation of the PPP road programme which is already underway. In this context the N56 Letterkenny Link Road was one of the projects that it was not possible to include given the overall funding envelope available.

As regards the possibility of additional funding within the Plan period, the Capital Plan Review process is underway. My Department is making a strong case for additional funding, including the development of a project pipeline for national road schemes. The final decisions on allocations are, however, matters for the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform and Government as a whole.