Vol. 406 No. 2
8 Mr. J. Bruton asked the Minister for the Environment the reason there is no reference to the National Roads Authority in the Programme for Economic and Social Progress having regard to the various proposals for road development in the programme.
No reference was made to the National Roads Authority in the Programme for Economic and Social Progress because the material included in relation to roads dealt essentially with investment plans rather than institutional arrangements. The Bill to establish the authority on a statutory basis will be introduced as soon as possible.
Would the Minister define "as soon as possible"? On some 14 occasions he has promised legislation in relation to the National Roads Authority. The last promise was that it would be published by the end of January. What is the reason for the delay in circulating the Bill? Will the Minister guarantee that it will be taken in this session? Will he clarify whether it is to be a semi-State body or an executive office within his Department?
I regret that it is not already before the House. It is being processed as quickly as possible. It is quite a long and detailed Bill and I am taking the opportunity of updating at the same time a lot of roads legislation. There will not be any undue delay. While I do not want to go on record as giving a date I cannot live up to, certainly it is my intention to have it before the House quite soon.
Will it be published this session?
I do not know whether I can have it published before the end of this session but certainly it is at a very advanced stage.
The Minister did not answer the other part of my question relating to whether this is to be a semi-State body or an executive body.
It would be inappropriate to deal with matters that will be incorporated in the legislation.
This is the reason for the delay.
I call Deputy Gilmore.
Another plum job for some friend. Wilma might get that one.
That is unworthy of the Deputy.
Is it not the case that the Minister and the Government have decided not to publish this legislation until after the local elections because involved in it is a proposal that the National Roads Authority will have the right to toll roads, taking that function away from democratically elected local authorities?
This is sterile talk. I will not divulge items and matters that are properly to be considered when the legislation is published.
You promised it before the election, Minister. You put it in your Programme for Government.
Deputy Bell is offering.
You had no hesitation then.
The commitment is there to publish it. It is not being held up unduly except we have to finalise——
It is between the potholes and craters.
There is friction, Minister, between the Department of the Taoiseach and your own Department. If the Minister had moved, the problem would have been solved.
I do not interrupt you fellows when you are asking questions. May I suggest that the delay in appointing the national roads authority has been responsible for the lack of proper administration of EC funds, the much needed moneys for the upkeep and building of new roads in this country, and as a result the road network is crumbling around our ears, never mind our cars. May I ask the Minister to make a statement on that?
I am delighted to reject that assertion, a Cheann Comhairle. If the Deputy has not yet had sight of the operational programme for roads, I would be happy to let him have a copy——
The 1985 programme.
——which was agreed by the EC last August. The Deputy in front of you, Deputy Bell, has it. I have to say to you that we are on target as far as that programme is concerned. We have drawn down the available money from the EC last year and we are on target to draw it down this year. There is no diminution in the effort to achieve the targets set out in the operational programme which has been agreed and which commits enormous sums of money to the development of our roads.
Has all the money allocated been used up?
I am on record as stating that our roads are the most deficient part of our infrastructure and that is the reason we are commiting such enormous sums of money——
The Minister has cut the money every year since he came into office.
This year the biggest sum of money ever committed to road improvement and maintenance since the foundation of the State——
The Minister should take the wage increases out of that.
What about 1985 and 1986?
Do not defend the N52. You cannot get to Kells with the state of the roads.
There has been a 19 per cent cut in the money for roads.
We might as well abolish the health boards because people cannot get to the meetings.
The legacy of neglect which I inherited has been remedied at last.
The Minister should not talk about the legacy.
Let the shouting cease.
