Brendan Ryan (Dublin Fingal, Labour)
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87. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport his plans to establish a study on the use of the Dublin Port Tunnel with a view to encouraging more car traffic at peak times in order to reduce traffic jams on the M1 corridor, with particular emphasis on the pricing structure at peak times; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [49427/17]

Shane Ross (Dublin Rathdown, Independent)
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As Minister for Transport, Tourism & Sport, I have responsibility for overall policy in relation to roads.  The planning, design and implementation of individual road projects on national roads are a matter for Transport Infrastructure Ireland under the Roads Acts 1993-2015 in conjunction with the relevant local authority.  For regional and local roads it is a matter for each respective local authority.

More specifically, the statutory powers to levy tolls on national roads as well as regional and local roads, to make toll bye-laws and to enter into toll agreements with private investors are vested in TII (for national roads) and each local authority (for regional and local roads) under Part V of the Roads Act 1993 (as amended by the Planning and Development Act 2000 and the Roads Act 2007). 

The Port Tunnel was built to facilitate Heavy Goods Vehicles (HGV) access to Dublin Port and to reduce HGVs in the city centre. That is the reason the toll structure was designed in the way it works.

However, I will ask TII to reply in more detail to the Deputy.