Vol. 548 No. 2
294 Mr. McGuinness asked the Minister for the Environment and Local Government if it was correct to sign off the Fiddown-Piltown by-pass, County Kilkenny at a time when the Ombudsman was dealing with complaints regarding the road; and if his attention has been drawn to the fact that the Ombudsman was involved. [4354/02]
Following a period of public consultation, a public local inquiry was held into the N24 Piltown-Fiddown by-pass scheme on 22 July 1997. Having considered the report of the inspector who carried out the inquiry, I confirmed the relevant compulsory purchase order and approved the relevant environmental impact statement on 15 June 1998. The role of the Minister for the Environment and Local Government in determining the CPO and EIS, which has since been transferred to An Bord Pleanála, was of a quasi-judicial nature and my consideration was necessarily confined to objections received and the inspector's report. I am not aware of any contacts by the Ombudsman with my Department in connection with the CPO and EIS.
Under Section 17 of the Roads Act, 1993, the National Roads Authority has a duty to secure the provision of a safe and efficient network of national roads and, for that purpose, it has overall responsibility for the planning and supervision of works for the construction and maintenance of national roads. The improvement works being undertaken on the Piltown-Fiddown bypass are a matter for the NRA and the local authority concerned.
