Martin Kenny
Ceist:1. Deputy Martin Kenny asked the Minister for Transport to provide an update on public private partnerships which facilitate tolls on eight of our motorways. [30139/23]
Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions
Road Tolls
My question is on the public private partnerships, PPPs, that facilitate the toll roads across the country. There have been recent increases in tolls and these have been very difficult for many motorists, especially those with large vehicles, trucks, buses, etc. The cost of living is bearing down hard on people. It is my view and that of many others that these toll roads were from the first a very bad deal for the public and for the Government, but we are where we are on that. What has the Government done in the six months since the toll increases were deferred to ensure we can get a resolution to this problem?
As the Deputy will be aware, the National Development Plan 2000–2006 first identified PPPs as a mechanism to facilitate the delivery of an extensive roads programme. There are now eight PPP toll roads in the State. These eight roads were constructed and are now operated and maintained under long-term contracts with Transport Infrastructure Ireland, TII. Revenue generated by these roads is collected by the PPP company and is used to repay loans arising from the construction of the road and to fund ongoing operations and maintenance activities. These contracts will begin to expire in the coming decades. In addition, there are also two other tolled national roads, namely, the M50 and the Dublin Port tunnel. These two roads are different in that they essentially function as public tolls. Revenue from these tolls is collected directly for TII by operating companies under contract to it.
PPPs involve the sharing of project risks and funding for the various stages of the asset life cycle. Toll concession contracts entered into between TII and PPP companies on the eight concession schemes each contain revenue share mechanisms as part of the contractual payment mechanism. This allows for a portion of toll revenue to be shared with TII should traffic exceed a certain level. It is important to note that under the Roads Acts of 1993, 2007 and 2015, the setting of tolls is a statutory function of TII. As such, there is no formal consultative role for the Minister in relation to tolls.
Toll price increases are as a result of consumer price index, CPI, calculations carried out each year. The CPI increased by 8.6% between August 2021 and August 2022 and this resulted in increased tolls on all eight PPP schemes and on the M50. The by-laws for each individual toll scheme set out the basis for calculating the maximum toll for each year. Last year, the Government announced that the planned toll increases which were due to come into effect on 1 January would be paused for six months and that six-month period will end on 1 July. The six-month cost of deferring the toll price increases was estimated at €12.5 million.
I take the point that the direction of travel of everything in the country is going up and it is related to the CPI. However, as inflation is going up in the country, the reality is that some things are pushing it up further than it needs to go and this issue with the toll roads is an example. To link the tolls to inflation does not make sense. I doubt the staff working in the toll companies have got huge pay increases in recent times. I doubt the people contracted to cut the grass and repair the toll roads have got big increases in their salaries. I doubt the cost of providing the service has increased. I imagine it has increased very little because it is a standard service. It is not like something that requires a lot of material like oil in order to provide the service. I do not understand why we have to have it connected in that way. Surely these things should be examined such that we look at the costs incurred and then reflect those costs in the costs charged to the motorists.
As I have said, the setting of tolls is a statutory function for TII and in those contracts there was a connection between toll increases and the CPI. The Deputy mentioned a few services that relate to the maintenance of our national roads and motorways, but asset renewal is a key part of that and probably one of the biggest cost implications for both public roads and roads that have a toll, so we maintain the asset for the long term. Anyone who has any knowledge of construction knows inflation is having an impact on the inputs when it comes to protection and renewal. Notwithstanding that, it is set out in the original toll contracts that there is a relationship to the CPI. That is set out clearly from a contractual perspective and that is why the increases must go ahead on 1 July. The Government took a decision to defer that increase for six months so it would not impact motorists for the whole of 2023.
I understand that, but while there are contracts there the Minister of State must accept these were bad contracts. They did not work well for the public or the taxpayer. These contracts were win-win all the way for the toll companies and that continues to be the case. The Minister of State mentioned there will be a profit share if the volumes of traffic increase. There was also a situation where if the volumes of traffic were below estimations the taxpayer would compensate the toll companies, so there was no losing for the companies that built these toll roads and it has been all losing for motorists. A person gave me an example of a woman with three children who goes to work using a toll road. As one of the children has autism she travels a lot on the M50 to bring the child up and down to services they use. Her husband also works using the M50. The bill for that family has increased hugely because of the toll increases, so it has an impact.
The Minister of State mentioned the increases were deferred for six months. The Government had an opportunity there to go back to these companies to renegotiate aspects of these contracts to try to push down the charges unfortunate members of the public are subject to.
I acknowledge the impact of the increased tolls on motorists and families. That is why we deferred the increase for six months. We have a vast motorway network that was developed through PPPs. People can be critical of them. Neither I or the Deputy were in the House at the time. To be fair, at the time they delivered an infrastructural outcome that has helped connect Ireland and built regional connectivity across the board and supported that development.
The contracts are clear. Some of them go for between 30 and 40 years and have a clear contractual basis around the CPI. As there was very low inflation for a period, tolls were not increased for motorists. We deferred the increase for six months. Inflation has continued through this year. There will be a wider budgetary consideration for any impact on motorists if the conclusion of the CPI impact over the last 12 months is similar to last year. That will obviously be of concern, so we will have to consider that through the budgetary discussions in advance of January next year.
Rail Network
Matt Shanahan
Ceist:2. Deputy Matt Shanahan asked the Minister for Transport if, assuming he is very much aware of the import and export benefit opportunity that has been developed as a result of the Ballina rail corridor that connects through Waterford Port, he can outline his Department’s position on developing a Ballina-type railhead in perhaps the Kildare area to connect to Waterford Port, which would counter increasing traffic congestion in the capital and have a positive impact on national freight distribution sustainability; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29764/23]
My question relates to the Department's position on developing a Ballina-style railhead in Kildare to provide further connectivity into the Port of Waterford to take pressure off Dublin Port and the capital and give us a more sustainable and balanced regional transport network.
The rail freight market in Ireland is open. Currently, a commercial arm of Iarnród Éireann is active in the sector. While the rail freight industry has declined in Ireland in recent decades, there are clear opportunities for growth, as demonstrated by the success of the existing Ballina corridor.
Since Brexit, trade patterns between Ireland and continental Europe have shifted significantly. Containerised freight flows through ports on the south coast have increased and thereby offered potential for longer-distance freight routes from these ports. Furthermore, containerised freight is more amenable to switching modes from road to rail. Rising fuel costs and driver shortages also increase the competitiveness and appeal of rail freight, which can efficiently transport large quantities of goods in a single trip. Last year, Iarnród Éireann was awarded €2.5 million in EU funding which will, in line with the Deputy's suggestion, examine connections to the ports and also potential transfer points for freight between rail and road.
These opportunities for the growth of rail freight have been one of the areas under examination as part of the all-island strategic rail review. In freight, the review has explored opportunities for increasing rail freight’s market share to levels comparable with other western European countries.
Work on the review is at an advanced stage and it is expected that a draft will be published for the purposes of strategic environmental assessment public consultation in July. Following the public consultation process and finalisation of the report, it is expected that it will be submitted for the approval of the Minister for Transport and the Government in the autumn, as well as to the Minister for Infrastructure in Northern Ireland. Should there continue to be an absence of Ministers in the Northern Ireland Executive, approval will be considered taking into account the decision-making framework set out in the Northern Ireland (Executive Formation etc) Act 2022 or relevant legislation in place at the time.
I hear a lot of discussion about the congestion in Dublin and capacity issues in Dublin Port. Last year the Port of Waterford saw €1.7 billion worth of goods imported and exported. There was a turnover of almost €400 million in the adjacent enterprise support area. Over 650 people are employed in that area. There is massive potential for expansion, not alone in respect of freight but particularly in support of offshore wind. What is the Government's policy on rebalancing our distribution and transport networks? Waterford Port has a significant part to play in that but we need an active policy around it. I accept that the rail transport review is ongoing but we need to look at where we can create real synergies. Waterford Port is giving a great amount of freight distribution potential to the west of Ireland and that can be further capitalised on by developing a railhead in the Kildare area.
Two things are happening, as I said in the previous response. The draft all-island rail review will be published in July for the purposes of environmental assessment and is to be finalised in the autumn. Separately, we will be commencing a review of our national ports policy. We will be publishing an issues paper on that in the coming weeks which will set out the trajectory on capacity for our ports. Rail will play an important role as part of our wider ports policy review. Waterford Port and other ports will be an important component of that. The growth of Dublin Port is projected to continue. We are also cognisant of the overall growth of the economy and the population increases we are seeing in our regions. We have opportunities for increased growth of rail freight and Iarnród Éireann has an important policy on trying to strengthen that over the coming period. Between the strategic rail review and the review of our national ports policy, we will see positive opportunities for Waterford Port and other ports in the coming period.
I look forward to seeing both of those reviews which are going to be very important in signalling whether the Government and Departments have taken an active and positive look at how we could redistribute some of the activity that is going on. Dublin is creaking at the seams, there is no doubt, not alone Dublin Port. There is a massive opportunity for housing and office development on the port lands, as has been mentioned many times. There does not seem to be a will in terms of policy to really look at the outside ports, particularly Rosslare Europort and Waterford Port. The strategic location of the south east should not be missed in terms of the amount of carbon we are generating cycling up and down in to Dublin Port as opposed to dropping to more adjacent ports. The big opportunity is for rail freight into Waterford. Baxter Healthcare recently announced a new agreement on freight transport into Waterford. It shows what can be done with a little bit of imagination. We would need greater capacity which must be delivered through some kind of railhead in the Kildare area, I would think. I hope to see that in the rail review.
The draft review will be published for environmental assessment in the coming weeks. We will welcome everyone's engagement on it. There is a lot of commentary about Dublin Port and being able to move it at the flick of a switch or turn it into a strategic zone for housing. It plays a hugely important role in our economy. Given the trade and logistics network that has evolved over decades, it will continue to play a strategic role from a trade perspective. We need to complement that with ambition in the south east, in Rosslare and Waterford, as well as looking at the whole Atlantic corridor from a rail perspective. The strategic rail review will offer opportunities to grow that. The rail freight strategy from Irish Rail is very clear on that ambition and their strategic initiatives to grow enhanced regional connectivity and opportunities through rail freight, on which we are ambitious. All of these initiatives through the strategic rail review and the wider consideration of ports policy will provide opportunities for Waterford and other regions over the coming period.
Rail Network
Martin Kenny
Ceist:3. Deputy Martin Kenny asked the Minister for Transport to detail what upgrades are currently under way in relation to rail infrastructure, including the western rail corridor, DART services, and MetroLink. [30196/23]
I also want to speak to the Minister of State about rail infrastructure, upgrades and developments in respect of the western rail corridor, the DART service in Dublin which was supposed to get upgrades, and MetroLink which was in the news this morning due to observations on the planning application. These are vital pieces of infrastructure. On the western rail corridor, Waterford Port is one of the destinations for freight all along the western seaboard, the Atlantic corridor. It would deliver freight right into Waterford Port. In the context of Brexit and direct lines to Europe, it makes no sense to be delaying the development of that infrastructure.
There is a huge range of activity occurring across the rail network to improve rail transport for passengers with a variety of projects set for delivery over the next few years. In the short term we will see a new station opening at Kishogue on the Kildare line late this year; new rail carriages entering into service next year through the addition of 41 new carriages to the intercity fleet; and a new station opening at Woodbrook on the DART line by the end of 2024. We will see the new DART+ fleet start to arrive next year and enter into service on the northern line in 2025. Track and station improvements at Oranmore are to be delivered by 2025. A new station is to be delivered at Moyross as part of the pathfinder programme. A redeveloped Ceannt Station in Galway is planned by 2026, while construction has already started on the North Quays in Waterford to deliver a new station there. Phase 1 of the Cork commuter rail programme will be completed by the end of 2026 as part of the EU’s recovery and resilience plan. In addition to those projects, which will all be delivered by 2026, we will see construction start in the next few years on the bigger projects like DART+ West, DART+ South West and MetroLink, which are currently with An Bord Pleanála for determination.
On the inter-urban and inter-regional network, Exchequer investment in protection and renewal continues to deliver safety and service improvements, as evidenced by the ongoing works on the Dublin to Cork line, the journey time improvements delivered on the Limerick to Ballybrophy line last year, the rehabilitation works under way on the Foynes freight line, and the protection works being undertaken on the east coast.
Finally, this year will also see the publication of the strategic rail review, which is the first all-island review of the network since the formation of the State and will provide a framework to develop a much-improved rail network in the decades ahead. This will provide opportunities for the west of Ireland and around to the south east, as I said to Deputy Shanahan.
I accept and understand that. A couple of weeks ago the senior Minister, Deputy Eamon Ryan, was in Sligo and he told us that he wants to put a greenway on top of the part of the rail line running past Knock Airport from Charlestown to Collooney. It is part of the western rail corridor which is intact; the railway has briars and bushes overgrowing it and it needs to be cut back and cleaned out. We all know that greenways are important and are part of what we need to be developing in many areas. However, we should not be putting them on top of key pieces of rail infrastructure that will be needed into the future. We need to keep them separate and apart from whatever other development we have around leisure or tourism. This is for people to be able to get transport. People from Sligo who have to go to hospital in Galway because cancer services have been taken away from Sligo hospital are not going to go on a bicycle. They need to have a service. The Government must re-examine this. All of the decisions coming from the Minister, Deputy Eamon Ryan, or the Green Party element of the Government are all-of-government decisions and they need to be dealt with in that way.
The next iteration in terms of decision-making will be the all-island strategic rail review. It will inform the development and decision-making of inter-urban and inter-regional rail across the island over the coming decades. It provides the strategic backdrop to rail investment in our region that the Jaspers review noted was lacking when considering phases 2 and 3 of the corridor.
The review will provide important scope for real improvement of rail services across existing and potential future corridors of the network. That scope will include the potential afforded by disused and closed lines such as the western rail corridor. As I said previously, work on the review is at an advanced stage. It will be published for the purposes of strategic and environmental assessment as part of the public consultation process in July. That forms the formal basis upon which Government decisions will be made after that. Obviously, engagement with public representatives and across everyone in the House will be an important context to inform those decisions.
I accept and understand that. Some progress is being made but unfortunately for many decades - in fact, for almost a century - for those in the west of Ireland it has been a case of waiting for the next report. The next report sits there and then they must wait for the next report. There will come a stage when we have reports about reports. We need action. We need things to be done, development to happen and investment to be seen on the ground to create the infrastructure to build. Then we can have an economy that can function. When we invest, when we create activity, that activity creates opportunity and that opportunity creates more activity. That is how we can build an economy in the parts of the country where we have the most potential to have that economy. Certainly in the west and the north west, that is the case. For too long, rural Ireland has had to see what crumbs come off the table from other places. That cannot be accepted any longer. We need the investment and the infrastructure to be put in place. Finally, will the Minister of State comment in regard to the observations on MetroLink, which is a vital piece of infrastructure for Dublin Airport and the entire city here?
Thankfully, because of the management of the economy and the fact that we are running budgetary surpluses, we have the opportunity to invest in line with our enormous ambition for capital investment in rail infrastructure and other areas. We are ambitious. We have to do that in a strategic way. The rail review will provide an opportunity for that.
A significant milestone in the MetroLink project was cleared in July 2022 when the Cabinet granted decision gate 1 approval under the public spending code. This enabled it to move to the planning application stage. The statutory planning consultation closed on 16 January and the railway order application was made in September of last year. TII is continuing the work on this. It is preparing the project design planning and procurement strategy for MetroLink for consideration under decision gate 2 of the public spending code. It is also in the process of appointing a client partner to support the efficient and effective delivery of the project. It is currently anticipated that the client partner will be appointed in the near future to provide adequate resources and supports across all phases of the project. This will be significant for the development and progress of the overall project, which I know many people want to see delivered as quickly as possible.
National Transport Authority
Mattie McGrath
Ceist:4. Deputy Mattie McGrath asked the Minister for Transport if he will urgently review the decision by the NTA to remove Ardfinnan Bridge from its 2023 list of projects, particularly given previous commitments from the Government on the matter; the reason the NTA is going against the view of the consultants engaged on the matter; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30023/23]
I thank the Minister of State for being in Ardfinnan last week. I want to ask about the situation and the reason the National Transport Authority, NTA, has removed Ardfinnan from the 2023 list, particularly given previous commitments on the matter from the Government, and indeed from the Taoiseach. The NTA receives a lot of funding. To take out this application beggars belief. The bridge has been a one-way system since 2015. The Minister of State has seen it. I will be happy to hear his answer.
This question may have been submitted prior to last week's public meeting at which it was agreed, as we can now confirm, that funding of €280,000 is being provided to Tipperary County Council to allow this project to proceed to the next stage of development, which is known as phase 3 - preliminary design. I know the Deputy will welcome that decision. I thank him and other local public representatives such as Councillor Anglim, Deputy Cahill and others, as well as the local community generally, for their keen interest in this project.
I understand the NTA formally communicated this decision last week. In developing the project further, the council will obviously progress through the process in regard to the overall preliminary design. As we all know, the village of Ardfinnan spans both sides of the River Suir. Ardfinnan Bridge previously consisted of a two-lane vehicular carriageway with no pedestrian facilities connecting either side of the village. In September 2015, it was converted into a one-lane stop-and-go shuttle system for vehicles, operated by a temporary traffic light arrangement, and a 1 m footway delineated by temporary barriers. The Ardfinnan Bridge project was originally set up as a minor footpath scheme in 2021 which would formalise the existing arrangement. However, that scheme was ultimately put on hold and the council asked to undertake an options assessment report to identify and rank options, including a proposal to revert the existing bridge to two-way traffic and construct a new active travel bridge. The council’s report concluded that the preferred option was a proposal to revert to a two-way traffic bridge and construct a new bridge. I am pleased that a solution has been found and the project as developed by the council can proceed to the next stage. We have obviously provided funding to facilitate that. I thank Deputy McGrath and others for their advocacy in getting to this point.
This matter has a long and sad history. I was on the bridge the night of the flood in 2015. It closed because of danger. The bridge was repaired. There have been numerous consultants’ reports dealing with fishing, every kind of aesthetics and architecture. I was under that bridge. It is repaired. There is no understanding of why it has been left as a one-way arrangement for this length of time. Obviously, the director of services, Mr. Marcus O’Connor, wanted to make it a one-way system permanently. The people of Ardfinnan, through the community council - I salute Ms Margaret Egan, the secretary; Councillor Anglim, the chairman; and the previous officers as well - submitted massive numbers of submissions to An Bord Pleanála. Submissions were also made by people from Clogheen, Araglin, Ballyporeen, Grange and everywhere. An Bord Pleanála, in its wisdom, decided that it should not be a one-way system and that there should be two-way traffic. The council has been obstinate and stubborn, however, and has refused to accept what An Bord Pleanála wants. We then did another independent review. Consultants were hired. More money was spent on those. They came up with the option of a stand-alone bridge. That was submitted to the NTA on the encouragement of the Taoiseach. The NTA’s decision and what happened is bewildering. I lay the blame with the county council.
I thank the Deputy. As he has said, there is a long history to this. Having been down there last week - the Deputy was there as well - I understand it is important from a road safety perspective that we see progress on the preliminary design work and hopefully a planning application after it. It is in the interests of providing safe active travel for the community in Ardfinnan that there is an independent bridge, as the Deputy has said. I understand the history and the concerns within the local community and how this been going on for a significant period. Through strong advocacy at the community council, and through Councillor Anglim, Deputy Cahill and Deputy McGrath, we are now at a point from which to make progress on this. We need to see the NTA, with the council, progress the preliminary design and move ahead with the proposal as set out in the recent feasibility study.
I have already asked how much has been spent on consultants for this bridge. It would nearly be enough to build a new bridge. Active travel has done great things in many areas. I disagree with some of the things that have been done. There has been funding everywhere for all kinds of bridges through bogs and across rivers. We have seen that these bridges can be erected so I do not know what the big deal is and why the NTA took this out. Why do we have to go back into the process of design and submission to An Bord Pleanála again? People do not have the faith in An Bord Pleanála that they used to have, as we know, because of recent scandals. Deputy Martin Browne has also advocated strongly on this matter. I can say on behalf of the people that they will not give up. They are very angry and disappointed at the amount of money that has been spent on consultants. When we got an independent report from the consultants, the NTA, on someone’s instructions, decided to dump it out of the programme completely. That is blackguarding of the highest order. Stefan Grace, the wonderful composer, will probably put pen to paper again, and I wish him well on his recent illness. I describe this bridge as a troubled bridge over tranquil waters. That is what it is. It is just downright blackguarding to leave it for that length of time. Now we are looking at a further 15 or 18 months of delay. It is unsafe for children, especially going to school, and for Brett Brothers’ harvest intake as well. It must be done.
We are at a point in progress that was not there two weeks ago, as the Deputy is aware. Thanks to the strong advocacy of all public representatives and the community council, we are now in a position to develop that preliminary design. There has to be a process around design and planning for every aspect of public infrastructure.
I am sure the NTA and the council will be able to provide information on the historical funding for consultants or other structures. The most important thing for the community is that there is progress and an opportunity to develop and progress the independent bridge in the interests of road safety. The sincerity of the position set out by the community council to me, the Deputy and others last week has been heard. It shows the importance of strong advocacy within communities when decisions are being made. I appreciate the Deputy's input and advocacy on this project.
Road Projects
Marian Harkin
Ceist:5. Deputy Marian Harkin asked the Minister for Transport for an update on the provision of funding for the progression of the N17 Collooney – Claremorris upgrade for the years 2024, 2025, 2026, 2027 and 2028. [30137/23]
I thank the office of the Ceann Comhairle for facilitating Deputy Harkin, who was unavailable. The Deputy is seeking from the Minister for Transport an update on the provision of funding for the progression of the N17 Collooney to Claremorris upgrade for the years 2024 to 2028, inclusive.
I thank Deputy Fitzmaurice. Once funding arrangements have been put in place with Transport Infrastructure Ireland under the Roads Acts 1993 to 2015, and in line with the national development plan, NDP, the planning, design, improvement and upgrading of individual national roads is a matter for TII, in conjunction with the local authorities concerned. TII ultimately delivers the national roads programme in line with Project Ireland 2040, the national planning framework and the NDP.
Approximately €491 million of Exchequer capital funds have been provided for national roads through TII to local authorities in 2023. These allocations were announced by the Department of Transport and TII on 16 February 2023. The N17 Knock to Collooney scheme has been identified in the national development plan. TII has been working to progress this scheme through planning, design and construction. I met Sligo County Council recently on a number of issues, as has the Minister for Transport, and this project was one of the topics discussed. I can confirm that €400,000 has been allocated for the N17 Knock to Collooney scheme in 2023. An emerging preferred transport corridor was released earlier this year, with a period of consultation following this. Finalisation of route selection following feedback and public consultation is under way by TII and is expected to be completed in the near future. Additional tasks, including traffic modelling and reporting, are also ongoing. As with all national roads projects in the NDP, the delivery programme for the project will be set out later in 2024. The scheme remains an important part of our national development plan and will be fully considered as part of the overall funding envelope available to TII in future years.
Deputy Harkin, along with other Deputies in the area, has been to the forefront of this. I was in County Sligo for the launch with great fanfare of Project Ireland 2040, as were other Deputies. The upgrade of the N17 road was part of it. Small amounts of money are all that are needed for the coming years. The N17 is a major road. We are talking about having a greenway from Sligo to Galway. Deputy Kenny spoke about the western rail corridor. There is no train. People must realise that to get from Donegal or Sligo for specialised cancer treatment, stenting or other heart surgery, it is necessary to go to Galway. There seems to be more of an emphasis on cycling from Sligo to Galway than on putting a road in place when there is no public transport available. By the way, travelling by bus requires a road. Promises have been made but this project seems to be in a logjam. The Minister seems to have kicked this to touch. The Minister of State should bear in mind that the EU has made it clear that the north west is one of the areas that needs more infrastructural funding to help it provide more employment.
The only decision made has been to allocate funding for 2023. No decision has been made for 2024. That decision will be made later in the year for every national road in the national development plan. I want to give clarity on that. Having met with the council, I know there is a poor safety record on the N17. The Deputy is also correct that this road is important for healthcare, regional connectivity and the local economy in the north west. That is why it is in the national development plan. As part of the Atlantic corridor, the project will assist in the delivery of a high quality network linking Cork, Limerick, Galway and Sligo. It provides enhanced regional accessibility and access to international markets via Ireland West Airport Knock. Through provision of improved infrastructure, this project will support commercial growth and investment in the area, including the Ireland West Airport Knock strategic development zone. The project has an important role in the national development plan as part of regional spatial strategies. That is clearly why it is set out in the plan.
I welcome the provision of funding. I ask the Minister of State to prioritise this project later in the year. For all of its sins, during the time of the boom, a lot of great work was done in road infrastructure around the country. A few roads in that region, including in Letterkenny and the N17 to Galway, need development. The statistics show roads in the region are not getting the same privileges as roads in parts of the country, such as the N4, N5 and M20. We are not against other roads being built. In light of the healthcare services required and the lack of infrastructure, for example, the absence of a rail corridor, people in the region have to travel by bus or car. There is no other choice to reach a centre of excellence. On behalf of the people of Sligo, and those from as far as Letterkenny and the surrounding areas who have to go to Galway for treatment, I ask the Minister of State to prioritise this project and make sure the funding is put in place to give people these people an equal opportunity.
There are a number of roads around Letterkenny listed in the national development plan, as part of the overall TEN-T network. This proposed project will remove through traffic from a number of towns and villages, which will have positive social and environmental impacts on local residents. Road users will benefit from improved journey time certainty. The project also provides the opportunity to introduce active transport facilities and encourage physical activity in the area. The Deputy mentioned the issue of healthcare, which was reflected to me when I met Sligo County Council. Significant strategic economic development of the north west is connected to progress on this road, as the Deputy set out. The poor safety record of the existing road needs to be considered in the context of overall roads investment. That is why the project has received funding for 2023. All national roads will be discussed later this year in the context of the envelope for 2024. I appreciate the Deputy's advocacy on this matter.