Vol. 452 No. 5
52 Mr. Sargent asked the Minister for the Environment the total cost of the DTI report; the manner in which it was funded; the percentage provided from public funds; and the percentage provided from European Union funds. [8225/95]
56 Mr. Sargent asked the Minister for the Environment the views, if any, he has on the recommendations of the Dublin Transportation Initiative, in particular recommendation 7.4.36 that the carriageway route would not provide access to residential roads from the scheme; if this recommendation will be accepted; the official status of this report; the reasons for commissioning this report; the progress, if any, that has been made on its implementation; and if this is a final report. [88250/95]
I propose to take Questions Nos. 52 and 56 together.
As announced at the time, the Government decided last October that the northern port access route should proceed on a priority basis, subject to: the route being constructed as a dual carriageway, mostly in tunnel, from the airport motorway at Whitehall to the North Port; the route being classified as a proposed national road, thereby placing its construction under the overall responsibility of the National Roads Authority; the implementation of the project being accompanied by traffic management measures, including tolling and a truck management system on the lines recommended in the DTI final report.
The precise arrangements for access to the new route will have to be carefully considered during the detailed design of the project, taking account of the recommendations of the DTI final report and the feasibility and environmental impact study of the proposed route prepared for Dublin Corporation. It is likely that the route will be constructed as a motorway which would require the preparation of a motorway scheme, the holding of a public local inquiry and the carrying out of an environmental impact assessment. Since I would have to act in a quasi-judicial capacity in deciding on a motorway scheme and environmental impact assessment, it would be inappropriate for me to comment further on the issue at this stage.
The Dublin Transportation Initiative was commissioned by the Government, with the support of the European Commission, to produce a long term transportation strategy, to 2011, for the greater Dublin area; prepare a mediumterm investment and implementation programme for the period 1994 to 1999, drawn from that strategy; and put in place a continuous transportation planning process.
