Vol. 397 No. 10
12 Mr. Barry asked the Minister for the Environment , having regard to the fact that he, the Taoiseach and other Government Ministers have, on a number of occasions in the last three years, announced that a decision on the downstream crossing of the River Lee was imminent, the reason he finds it necessary to hold a further investigation in this regard.
On 26 March 1990, I announced that I was making arrangements with Cork Corporation for the reopening of the public inquiry on proposals for a downstream crossing of the River Lee in order to consider evidence of up-to-date information on harbour and road traffic in the area concerned, consider evidence of up-to-date information on the estimated cost of immersed tube tunnels, and enable a possible option of a low to medium level open-span bridge to be assessed in greater detail.
The local public inquiry into an application by Cork Corporation for a bridge order relating to the provision of a tunnel was held in October 1985. The inquiry dealt mainly with two possible options — a tunnel and a high level bridge. The inspectors' report was submitted to the then Minister in January 1987.
Since then I have indicated that I accept the need for the crossing and the proposed location of the crossing. The main reason for reopening the inquiry is that I see a need to assess a possible option of a low to medium-level open-span bridge in greater detail.
Without prejudice to the outcome of the reopening of the inquiry, I have made provision — in the draft operational programme for roads and other transport infrastructure — for the commencement of the crossing in 1993.
This farce has been perpetrated by this Government for the past three years. There was no question of a low level or open span bridge, to which the Minister now refers, on any occasion when the Taoiseach, the present Minister or any other Fianna Fáil Deputy came to Cork. The response always was: we are going ahead with the tunnel, a decision is imminent, it will be taken shortly or within a matter of weeks, even to the extent that the Minister allowed Deputy Deenehy to go to the public press in Cork in March to the effect that a decision would be taken with the next few weeks in favour of the tunnel. I have no hangup about a bridge, a tunnel or whatever is the latest proposal——
Good.
——I do not mind in the slightest, but there is a need for a lower level crossing of the River Lee. It would have been far more honest had the Minister said three years ago that he wanted to investigate its feasibility rather than long-fingering the matter and, on a four monthly basis, say he was going ahead with the tunnel and a decision thereon was imminent. The Minister has been less than honest with the people of Cork, and indeed with his own Deputies in Cork about the matter.
The Deputy is making a statement rather than asking questions. That is not in order now.
Would the Minister agree that he has been less than honest in this matter?
The difference now, of course, is that the Minister is going ahead with the project. If there was such great urgency about it in January 1987, all the Deputy's colleague in Government had to do was append his signature and it would have begun long ago. There is a three year lead-in time. Certainly the matter has been carefully considered by me in that time. I am stating positively for the record that we are going ahead with that downstream crossing. I must also stress that there has been a considerable easing of traffic congestion because of resultant improvements that have taken place in the environment down there, with considerable sums of capital expenditure having been spent on roads since that time. That being the case, so that we would finally have both options carefully analysed and placed before me, I am now giving the House my undertaking that, as well as having it included for construction in 1993, I will not back off that. I will give my decision on the matter as soon as this other aspect can be finally disposed of. That is my commitment on the matter.
I accept the Minister gives that undertaking because the leader of his party gave precisely the same undertaking in November 1986 when he was not in Government, when he said that all that was needed——
Please, Deputy, this is Question Time.
Would the Minister not agree that what the then Leader of the Opposition said was that all that was needed was the Minister's signature to the proposal for the downstream crossing and that, on election to Government, they would do so immediately? That was three years ago. Therefore, the Minister will understand that we cannot place the same reliance on his word now as did the people of Cork on the Taoiseach's word three years ago.
The Deputy can because I have it included in the operational programme submitted to Brussels. I said I was putting it forward in the programme.
The Minister told us that 12 months ago.
I said I was including it in the programme and it is being included——
Let us have an orderly Question Time. I am calling the nest question.
Really, Deputy Barry should make a telephone call to north county Dublin and have the matter clarified. I hope the Deputy is not disappointed that he is getting it at last.
We are not getting it; these are more and more promises. We have had those for four years.
I am calling Question No. 13.
