The national development plan sets out, inter alia, a strategic framework for the development of the national roads network over the coming seven years. It is a matter for the National Roads Authority, within the NDP framework, to promote detailed programming of the work required and to manage, in co-operation with local authorities, the planning, design and implementation of individual road development projects.
As part of its July 2001 presentation to the Cabinet Committee on Infrastructure regarding progress on the delivery of the road infrastructure projects mandated in the national development plan, the National Roads Authority reported on improvements to routes serving the North-West. The NRA has undertaken to conduct a more detailed assessment of N5 improvements and to report further on this at their next presentation to the Cabinet Committee in December 2001.
In reply to Question No. 267 of 19 June 2001, I indicated that section 17 of the Roads Act, 1993, assigns overall responsibility to the National Roads Authority for the planning and supervision of works for the construction and maintenance of national roads. Consistently with this position, successive Ministers for the Department of the Environment and Local Government have not exercised any role in relation to the implementation of individual national road schemes. It remains the case that I have not issued any instruction to the National Roads Authority in relation to the N5 or any other route.
