Dominic Hannigan
Question:947. Deputy Dominic Hannigan asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport if he will provide an update on the Slane bypass; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29053/15]
View answerTuesday, 14 July 2015
Questions (947, 948, 949)
Dominic Hannigan
Question:948. Deputy Dominic Hannigan asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport if he will provide an update on the meetings that have taken place between his Department and Meath County Council regarding the Slane bypass; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29054/15]
View answerDominic Hannigan
Question:949. Deputy Dominic Hannigan asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport if he will provide an update on the meetings that have taken place between his Department and the National Roads Authority regarding the Slane bypass; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29055/15]
View answerWritten answers
I propose to take Questions Nos. 947 to 949, inclusive, together.
As Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport, I have responsibility for overall policy and funding in relation to the national roads programme. The planning, design and implementation of individual road projects such as the Slane bypass is a matter for the National Roads Authority (NRA) under the Roads Acts 1993 to 2007 in conjunction with Meath County Council. Statutory responsibility for traffic management rests with the relevant local authority. Following An Bord Pleanála's decision not to give development consent for the Slane bypass, Meath County Council in liaison with the NRA has been responsible for evaluating traffic management options. The most recent study - the Slane Traffic Management Review - was undertaken by Halcrow Barry on behalf of the Council and published in February this year.
Since I became Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport, I have been at a number of meetings attended by Meath County Council and on two occasions by the NRA to discuss the position in relation to traffic in Slane.
At this point it is a matter for Meath County Council to liaise with the NRA in relation to how best to proceed. The Roads Act 2015 provides for pre-planning consultation with An Bord Pleanála. Given the board's previous decision to refuse permission, it would seem to make sense for Meath County Council to initiate such discussions.
There is no escaping the reality of limited resources. The indications are that funding will remain tight for the next number of years. While I hope I have stabilised the funding position, the scope for any new improvement projects depends on the availability of additional capital funding in the future. Once the new capital plan is published, I will assess what can be done to address particular bottlenecks taking into account development consent requirements.