Brendan Griffin (Kerry, Fine Gael)
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16. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport if the upgrade of the N22, Macroom to Ovens phase, is a priority of his Department; if he recognises its strategic importance for connectivity in the south-west region; if he will provide an estimated timescale that all stages of such a project would take, an outline of what the scheme would entail, and an estimated cost in today's money for this project; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30099/23]

Eamon Ryan (Dublin Bay South, Green Party)
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As Minister, I have responsibility for overall policy and exchequer funding in relation to the National Roads Programme. Once funding arrangements have been put in place with Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII), under the Roads Acts 1993-2015, and in line with the National Development Plan (NDP), the planning, design, improvement and upgrading of individual national roads is a matter for TII, in conjunction with the local authorities concerned. TII ultimately delivers the National Roads Programme in line with Project Ireland 2040, the National Planning Framework and the NDP.

The Deputy will be aware that the N22 Macroom to Ballincollig improvement scheme was not identified as a project for progression under the NDP 2021 to 2030. Funding under the NDP is obviously directed toward those projects identified within the Plan.

The Government has earmarked €5.1bn for capital spending on new national roads projects from 2021 to 2030 as part of the NDP. This funding will enable improved regional accessibility across the country as well as compact growth, which are key National Strategic Outcomes. The funding will provide for the development of numerous national road projects, including the completion of projects which are already at construction stage and those close to it, as well as the development of a number of others.

As the greater portion of this funding becomes available in the second half of the decade, this means that there is a constraint on the funding available for new projects this year – however most national road projects in the NDP will continue to be progressed in 2023.

A major priority in the NDP, in line with the Department’s investment hierarchy, is to maintain the quality and safety of the existing national road network. The NDP foresees an exchequer allocation of circa €2.9 billion for the Protection and Renewal of existing national roads over the 10-year period to 2030, allocated fairly evenly across the decade.

Approximately €491m of exchequer capital funds have been provided for national roads through TII to local authorities in 2023. These allocations were announced by the Department of Transport and TII on the 16th of February 2023.

Brendan Griffin (Kerry, Fine Gael)
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17. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport if he will move to build the Adare bypass now that judicial reviews will not be taking place; if he will provide details of costs of all stages of the project and estimated timelines for these; if he recognises the difficulty for socioeconomic activity that the lack of this infrastructure causes in the mid-west and south-west regions; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30100/23]

Eamon Ryan (Dublin Bay South, Green Party)
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As Minister, I have responsibility for overall policy and exchequer funding in relation to the National Roads Programme. Once funding arrangements have been put in place with Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII), under the Roads Acts 1993-2015, and in line with the National Development Plan (NDP), the planning, design, improvement and upgrading of individual national roads is a matter for TII, in conjunction with the local authorities concerned. TII ultimately delivers the National Roads Programme in line with Project Ireland 2040, the National Planning Framework and the NDP.

With regard to the Limerick to Foynes Project, in addition to providing a much-needed bypass of Adare, it will also serve to connect the Port of Foynes to the motorway network. Following Government approval to proceed to planning, the scheme was published in December 2019 with An Bord Pleanála approval secured in August 2022. Following this, three requests for judicial review were submitted to the High Court and Leave to Appeal was granted to all three.

In recent days the three applications for Judicial Review which were before the courts have been settled. This is a welcome development, and Departmental officials and TII are now examining the implications for the delivery of this project, both in terms of cost and in time. The next step for the project will be approval of the procurement strategy and project brief at Decision Gate 2 of the Public Spending Code.

€2 million in funding was allocated to Limerick City and County Council for this project in 2023. As with all national roads projects included in the NDP, the delivery programme for the project will be kept under review for 2024. This will include consideration of all developments in relation to the project, including the settlement of these legal matters.