asked the Minister for the Environment the moneys allocated this year for the purchase of land for the Southern Cross route motorway.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Southern Cross Route.
12.
I have allocated £500,000 to Dublin County Council in the current year for the Western Parkway/Southern Cross route. This amount includes a sum of £100,000 to meet land acquisition costs on the section of the route between Greenhills Road and Naas Road. The balance of £400,000 is to meet land acquisition costs and construction work on the section between Tallaght Road and Firhouse Road.
Is the Minister satisfied with the progress being made by Dublin County Council in relation to the acquisition of land for the Southern Cross route? Is he aware that, unless some action is taken and more speedy progress made on the acquisition of land, traffic congestion in the Dundrum-Templeogue-Rathfarnham area will reach crisis proportions within a few years? Is the Minister satisfied that the money allocated is sufficient to meet the county council needs and if not will he provide more money if requested?
As far as I am concerned they are acquiring the land. Some of the acquisition, as the Deputy probably realises, takes quite some time because of CPOs. The Deputy may or may not mean that I should interfere in some way to hasten the acquisition of land. I am not permitted to do that where a CPO is concerned because I am the final arbitrator with regard to the outcome of the CPO. I imagine that Dublin County Council are doing their utmost to acquire the land, at first without CPOs, and then, if necessary, by using the CPOs.
(Cavan-Monaghan): Is the Minister aware that there seems to be an inordinate delay about these CPOs? It seems to take years now to get one through. Will the Minister do something to speed up that matter because it is holding up progress?
I agree with the Deputy that there appears to be terrible delays. There have always been delays in regard to CPOs. There is a procedure which has to be gone through under the present legislation. This procedure is constitutional and otherwise and it could end up in the Four Courts. I am not a legal man. We try to proceed as fast as possible with regard to appointing an officer to carry out the inquiry and then we have to await the report of the particular officer, try to hurry the thing up and try to get a final decision on it.
(Cavan-Monaghan): I agree that there are certain statutory steps which have to be taken. Apart altogether from those statutory delays there are inordinate delays in between, like waiting on the inspector's report and the Minister's decision. The Minister has control over those matters. Will he do something about them?
As far as my decision is concerned they are not left waiting. I believe there are unavoidable delays with regard to an inspector writing a report. Particular inquiries, very controversial ones, where there is a lot of evidence, take some time. Those matters vary from one inquiry to the next.
(Cavan-Monaghan): They should be given sufficient staff. These men are expected to write those things out in longhand.
Is the House to understand from what the Minister said that there is no CPO waiting a decision from him in relation to any section of the Southern Cross route?
From me personally?
When an inspector from the Department finalises the report has the Minister to make a decision in relation to sanction?
I would have to check to know if there is any particular one that I am awaiting from an inspector.
Will the Minister assure the House that no delays will occur because of that section?
I will ensure that they do not and I will check if there is any inordinate delay with regard to any section of it.
Question No. 14.
Has the Minister made an application for moneys from the EMS special fund for the development of this route? Would the Minister also consider designating this route part of the European route EO1, for the purpose of EEC assistance?
The Deputy may put down a separate question on that.
I cannot say at this stage whether or not it was part of the application made last year. I would have to check it up.
Question No. 13 has been withdrawn. Question No. 14.