I welcome the Minister, Deputy Shane Ross. I always knew he would be in that seat one day.
Commencement Matters
Road Network
I, too, welcome the Minister. It is particularly significant that he is a former Member of the House, but the issue I am bringing up is more significant. As a Senator based in Limerick city, the upgrade of the N20 to a motorway is the number one infrastructural project for those living in Cork and Limerick. If one travels from Cork to Limerick, the N20 is approximately 100 km in length and the journey takes well over an hour and a half. In the past 12 to 14 months alone, there have been nine fatalities along the route. Therefore, we need a motorway from a safety perspective, if for no other reason. If one drives on the M7, it takes just over two hours to travel from Limerick to Dublin, a distance of 200 km.
We speak about the need for regional development, but we need to put it into action. There is a need for balanced regional development, with the Cork-Limerick-Galway axis acting as a counter-pole to Dublin which is bursting at the seams. There is a need to upgrade the N20 to expand the western corridor from Limerick to Cork. Many of my constituents in Limerick commute on a daily basis between Limerick and Cork. Many have businesses in both locations and a rising tide will lift all boats for us in the southern region.
There are a couple of aspects to the issue. Route selection has already taken place and the plan was submitted to An Bord Pleanála. However, due to the finances, the project was discontinued in November 2011. What is required is a ministerial direction to restart the scheme. Transport Infrastructure Ireland, TII, formerly the National Roads Authority, should be required to prepare an updated business case for the M20 route which would stand on its own merits. It would provide the engine to drive growth in both Limerick and Cork. I understand the project would be costly, but the Minister will know, as a former member of the Committee of Public Accounts, that we are looking for value for money. Construction of the motorway which would be 80 km in length would lead to the travelling time being cut by about 30 minutes. One would be able to commute from Limerick to Cork in just over an hour. We are at a comparative disadvantage in the region in that we have a substandard road linking the second and third largest cities in the country. This being a modern economy, we have to ensure the project will take place.
Much of the work in terms of route selection, including environmental impact studies, the signing of motorway orders and holding oral hearings, had started with An Bord Pleanála. I understand the Minister will probably have to go through the same process again, but if the existing route is the one that will ultimately be chosen, much of the work will already have been done.
I thank the Cathaoirleach for allowing me to raise this Commencement matter. What I want from the Minister is a clear direction that he will get the planning process under way again. I know that a mid-term review of the capital plan is due to take place in the next year. Will he ask TII to upgrade the business case in order that he can kick-start the process?
I thank the Cathaoirleach for his kind words. It is nice to be back in the House. It does not feel like six years since I was in it. The surroundings have not changed much, although the occupants have.
Not all of them.
Nearly all of them have, although I must add that I have always been much fonder of the surroundings than the occupants.
The feeling is mutual.
If the Minister was to be be totally honest, he misses this place.
That is right. I congratulate Members on being elected to the Seanad. It is a great honour and this will be a great Seanad. Seanad reform is coming. It is wonderful to have a House in which there is no overall Government majority to ram things through. The Government will have to talk to other parties and Independent Senators to get legislation through. That is welcome and I believe the Seanad will play a significant role, something it has not played in the past. I look forward to being in the House frequently in the next five years.
I thank the Senator for giving me the opportunity to address this matter. I welcome him in the Seanad, although I am sorry that he is here because he was a very good Member of the other House, something which also applies to Senator Paudie Coffey. No doubt they will be back in the Dáil in the near future.
As Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport, I have responsibility for overall policy and the provision of funding for the national roads programme. The planning, design and implementation of individual national road projects are matters for Transport Infrastructure Ireland, TII, formerly known as the National Roads Authority, NRA, under the Roads Acts, 1993 to 2015, in conjunction with the local authorities concerned. Within its capital budget, the assessment and prioritisation of individual projects are, in the first instance, matters for TII in accordance with section 19 of the Roads Act.
Ireland has just under 100,000 km of road in its network and the maintenance and improvement of national, regional and local roads place a substantial financial burden on local authorities and the Exchequer. As a result of the financial position, there have been very large reductions in the Exchequer funding available for roads expenditure in the past few years. For this reason, the focus has had to be on maintenance and renewal rather than on major new improvement schemes. The proposed upgrade of the N20 was one of a range of proposed road development projects which had to be deferred.
The capital plan published in September 2015 outlined proposed transport investment priorities to 2022. The transport element of the plan was framed by the conclusions reached in my Department's strategic investment framework for land transport. The report highlighted the importance of the maintenance and renewal of transport infrastructure, together with targeted investments to address particular bottlenecks and critical safety issues. The capital plan provides €6 billion for investment in the road network in the period to 2022, with €4.4 billion earmarked for the maintenance and strengthening of the existing extensive network throughout the country and €1.6 billion for new projects. Allowing for the commitments relating to public private partnership, PPP, projects, the balance available for new projects within the available capital envelope was limited.
Given the funding constraints, a project of the scale of the M20 would have absorbed a substantial proportion of the budget for new projects. In the circumstances, as I understand it, the decision made by my predecessor was to provide for a mix of smaller scale projects across the country to address particular constraints, including bottlenecks and port connectivity. While it will not be possible to address all of the demands for improvement schemes in the period of the capital plan, the plan provides for the gradual build-up of capital funding for the road network towards the levels needed to support maintenance and improvement works. In this context, a number of important projects in Cork are included in the plan, including the upgrade of the Dunkettle roundabout and the N22 road between Ballyvourney and Macroom. In addition, the plan provides for the commencement of the N28 upgrade scheme, subject to necessary approvals.
We are all conscious that the recovery of the economy is generating spending pressures across the system, including capital investment needs. As part of A Programme for a Partnership Government, there is increased emphasis on the need for spending on public services, but the Government must still operate within EU fiscal rules and this constrains options. As the Senator mentioned, there will be a mid-term review of the capital plan which will provide an opportunity to assess progress and consider what scope there is for increased levels of investment, depending on economic growth. I expect the position on the M20 project to be considered as part of the review.
Will the Minister request or direct Transport Infrastructure Ireland to prepare an updated business case for the M20 project? The business case conducted in 2009 clearly indicated the need for a motorway route between Limerick and Cork. It is a huge concern and priority for my constituents in Limerick. Furthermore, the fact that there have been nine fatalities along the route in the past 12 to 14 months provides an added impetus for the project to get under way. The Minister should request TII to produce an updated business case to be delivered to him. I ask him to inform the Seanad of the outcome of that review.
I take the Senator's point about the number of fatalities along the route. The matter is very serious and I have heard about it from many other sources apart from the Senator. I am not yet familiar with the road network of Ireland, but this is one road that has been highlighted by the Senator and others.
Regarding Transport Infrastructure Ireland, I will not necessarily do exactly as the Senator wishes. However, I am due to meet its representatives shortly - I am due to meet representatives of all of the semi-State bodies - and I will put the question the Senator has asked to them and listen to the case they should or should not do this. I will make a decision after I have talked to them.
Will the Minister inform us of the outcome of the meeting?
I will keep the Senator informed.
Regional Airports
I welcome the Minister, Deputy Shane Ross, to the House which is very familiar to him. I served as a Senator with him for a term, from 2007 to 2011. I also served for a term with him in the Lower House. This is my first opportunity to publicly wish him well with his portfolio. He brings vast experience to the office and I believe he will do a good job. He has a good understanding of what is required in the areas of transport, tourism and economic development.
As we heard in the earlier debate, transport and tourism are undoubtedly key economic components of the economy. Like the roads mentioned by Senator Kieran O'Donnell, other infrastructure such as the rail network, ports and airports is critical to unlocking the economic potential the regions offer to the economy. I have often compared Dublin and its environs to an economic vortex which sucks economic activity from the regions, as well as young educated people. They come to Dublin where jobs are be found and, unfortunately, do not return to the regions. Until we address the long-term strategic decisions in the context of regional and critical infrastructure development, we will not change that position.
There is a unique opportunity for all of us, including the Minister, to make strategic decisions in the interests of sustainable regional development. For that reason, I raise an issue of which the Minister is well aware, the long-term sustainable future of Waterford Airport. It serves the south east, a region that has been under-performing owing to the deficits in critical infrastructure provision. In fairness, some of them have been addressed in the past few years. With the development of the motorway to Waterford, one can already see the economic development it brings. Investments made by the Department and the Minister's predecessors in tourism initiatives have also brought about economic activity. I refer to the Viking Triangle in Ireland's oldest city, Waterford, and the Déise Greenway which is due to open later this year and which will link the oldest city in Ireland with one of the most beautiful harbour towns in the country, Dungarvan. It runs across the middle of the county of Waterford, with the coast on one side and the Comeragh Mountains on the other.
Waterford and the south-east region are very proud of what they have to offer. However, we need help in delivering the critical infrastructure that would allow us to layer economic activity and employment on top of it. Waterford Airport has experienced some difficulties during the years, with operational airlines coming and going. VLM Airlines is the most recent at the airport, but it has announced that it is to discontinue its services to Birmingham and Luton which are important connections to the United Kingdom, our neighbour, which bring people to the region who generate the activity I have mentioned.
The board of and management team at Waterford Airport have worked assiduously in very difficult circumstances. The previous Government supported the airport through the worst economic times the country has experienced by providing grant aid of more than €5 million to keep it going. However, we now need to move to the next level. A runway extension at the airport is critical to allow jet aircraft to land there and in order that more operators will be interested in bringing passengers to and from not just Waterford but also the wider south-east region, where all the economic indicators are showing that we are underperforming. The south east can contribute to the economic recovery. It can contribute to job creation, in which we are all interested, but, more importantly, it can also contribute to the sustainability of the economy.
The Minister has a critical role to play. I understand he faces challenges and that he must spend his money wisely in terms of capital investment. If, however, he invests in this project, it will be a move he will not regret.
I thank the Senator for his kind words and congratulate him on his election to the House. I look forward to meeting him here in the near future. I thank him for raising this matter. I am well aware of the difficulties he is experiencing, particularly in the context of the airport in Waterford. A ministerial colleague, Deputy John Halligan, chews my ear off daily about the matter. The Senator can rest assured that his raising it in this House is extremely useful and adds to the strength of the argument which undoubtedly can be made. To reassure him and anyone who might think otherwise, I do not believe the benefits of regional airports can be measured in the annual profit and loss accounts or balance sheets alone. I know that there are serious regional benefits for the entire locality in Waterford and the other areas in which airports are located.
My Department has for many years operated a support programme for regional airports, including Waterford Airport, with substantial levels of funding provided in recognition of their contribution to balanced regional development. The latest iteration of the programme covers the five-year period 2015 to 2019 and was approved in August last year by the European Commission as being in conformity with its 2014 guidelines on state aid for airports and airlines.
The national aviation policy which was published by my Department last year acknowledges the role played by the regional airports in counties Donegal, Kerry and Waterford, as well as Ireland West Airport Knock, in promoting a level of international connectivity to support the tourism and business sectors in the regions in which they are located. I should mention that an extra €10 million in capital funding is being provided in the programme for Government for regional airports. This is additional to the €28 million already provided for this purpose in the capital plan for the period 2016 to 2022 and will enhance my Department's ability to further support the four airports mentioned.
In terms of capital support, my Department's regional airports programme provides Exchequer funding for the four regional airports to assist them in implementing necessary safety and security related projects, including requisite measures in these two areas to comply with regulatory requirements. The funding provided by my Department for such safety and security purposes is vital for these smaller airports and it is no exaggeration to say that without this Exchequer support, the airports would almost certainly be unable to continue to facilitate scheduled passenger services. In the past five years Waterford Airport has received €9.6 million in operational and investment support from my Department. In April this year a further €157,500 in grant aid was approved for a number of security projects, including the provision of new X-ray equipment, at the airport.
While our support programme for safety and security measures is important to the airports, it does not extend to investing in the provision of new capacity or expansions in airport infrastructure. The Exchequer is not in the business of investing in airports for development purposes and has not engaged in such investment, whether at State or regional airports. However regrettable, commercial decisions of that nature - for example, in extending a runway to cater for larger aircraft, expanding the capacity of a terminal building or the building a new car park - are one for airport authorities. I am aware that the authorities at Waterford Airport have ambitions to extend the runway and I understand they are pursuing local interests for funding for these plans. I will give them all possible encouragement. I was disappointed to hear last week that VLM Airlines, the only remaining commercial operator using the airport, had withdrawn its London-Luton service. It also withdrew from another route last month. However, I understand the airport is in detailed discussions with a number of airlines with a view to securing a replacement carrier.
I acknowledge the Government support provided in recent years. I was closely involved in ensuring, in conjunction with the Minister's predecessors, that grant assistance was in place for the past five years. I am also conscious of the efforts made by the Minister of State, Deputy John Halligan, with whom I am working on this matter. I know that it is also of deep interest to my colleague, Senator Grace O'Sullivan, who is present in the House. As Oireachtas Members from Waterford and the south-east region, we want to work with the Minister on it. He is correct that the board of and management team at Waterford Airport have already made big advances in obtaining compulsory purchase orders to secure land for the runway extension. They have the support of the local authorities in the region which have put their money where their mouths are to support the airport. They are also active with business and commercial interests in raising funding to ensure the runway extension will be delivered.
Having said that, we still need support from the Minister and his Department. He is right in saying this is not just about the balance sheet. It also concerns the knock-on economic benefits access brings to a region. I have mentioned some of the jewels in the crown in the Waterford area. They are also to be found throughout the south east. Ireland's Ancient East is a programme that is being run by the Minister and his Department. Waterford city and county, as well as the region, will play a major role in emulating, in a different way, the economic benefits the Wild Atlantic Way has brought to the west. We need to do the same in the east and the south east. Waterford Airport is a critical component of that effort. We look forward to working with the Minister to try to advance what are not just local interests but also regional and national interests to avail of the benefits of economic activity. As my colleague has said and as many colleagues in this House will continue to say, we need to develop critical infrastructure in the regions if we are to unlock their inherent potential.
Does the Minister wish to add anything?
I assure Senator Paudie Coffey that I am sympathetic to everything he has said, but he must realise the restrictions within which we work. As a former Minister of State, he will be aware of them. They are not just restrictions on the Exchequer but also the restrictions imposed by the state aid rules under which we work. We have to abide by them. The Minister of State, Deputy John Halligan, has asked me to visit the airport and I am willing to go and have a look at it. I will, of course, inform the Senator when I am going. I am very wiling to explore the avenues which are open to us to ensure the crises which Waterford Airport met in recent weeks on foot of VLM's decision will not be repeated.
Hospital Services
The next matter is in the name of Senator Terry Leyden. I welcome the Minister of State, Deputy Helen McEntee, and wish her luck in her new brief. I also wish her well in her political career.
I wish to clear up a misunderstanding that occurred yesterday morning. I thought this matter would have been taken yesterday, but I received text messages which I had not read at that stage to the effect that it would be taken today. When it was not read out yesterday, I got the impression that it would not be included. I apologise to the Clerk of the Seanad if there was any misunderstanding. It was not intentional on my part.
The Senator is human. As he has sorted it out with the Clerk, we will move on.
We did sort it out.
I welcome the Minister of State, Deputy Helen McEntee, and congratulate her on her appointment. That said, I was expecting the Minister for Health, Deputy Simon Harris, to be here. I know that the Cathaoirleach and the Leader of the House cannot dictate this, but I seek assurances that when a matter is raised with the Minster who has overall responsibility, he will be here, unless there is a good reason for him not being present. It is not fair to send new Ministers of State into the House to deal with issues such as this when they are not in a position to give a definitive response to any supplementary question asked. That said, I welcome the Minister of State and wish her a successful career in the Department.
I was in it for a period and hope she will receive proper delegation of authority and responsibility, signed by the Minister, unlike in the past when no such delegations were made. Ministers had full responsibility and did not delegate any responsibility to Ministers of State. It is very important that all Ministers of State insist on this happening and having their delegated responsibilities signed off on and approved by the Government.
I raise the issue of the withdrawal of approximately €8 million for a rehabilitation unit at Roscommon University Hospital. In a statement published in the Roscommon People on 3 June Dr. Gerry O'Mara, a consultant geriatrician at the hospital, stated: "I believe that if this project does not go ahead, this hospital will eventually lose its inpatient beds and be allowed to wither."
It was announced in May 2015 that the Health Service Executive, HSE, had approved the provision of €7.85 million to build a ten-bed unit which would operate as a satellite centre for the National Rehabilitation Hospital in Dún Laoghaire. The HSE has now stated that, owing to funding constraints and competing priorities, no funding can be allocated for the project in 2016. It has confirmed that funding for the unit was included in the capital programme for the period 2016 to 2021 and that it is not intended to commence the project until later in the programme.
Roscommon University Hospital lost its year-round, 24-hour emergency unit. By way of compensation, it has gained a new endoscopy unit which has been partially opened and is very welcome. However, the loss of the emergency department was a disaster for the hospital and represents a broken promise by the Taoiseach and the former Minister for Health, Senator James Reilly. That promise, made prior to the general election in 2011, resulted in the reward of two seats for Fine Gael in the constituency of Roscommon-South Leitrim. It is most regrettable that the emergency department has been completely pushed aside and was not included in the new programme for Government. The restoration of the service in Roscommon has been sacrificed for seats at the Cabinet table and other positions. The people of Roscommon will never forgive or forget those who set out to destroy the future of Roscommon University Hospital which I have stood by through thick and thin. During my period in office we held on to the emergency department. The emergency department is at the heart of any hospital. We need to ensure the emergency service will be restored at Roscommon University Hospital. I commend the people who have protested every Saturday, in all weather conditions, against the loss of the emergency department.
I congratulate the Cathaoirleach on his new role and wish every Senator well in this term. Like my colleague, the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport, Deputy Shane Ross, I hope to be here for the next five years to engage and debate with Members of Seanad Éireann.
I thank the Senator for raising this issue which I know is of importance to him. The Minister for Health, Deputy Simon Harris, sends his apologies and hopes to engage with the Senator on the matter at a later date.
Roscommon University Hospital is a model 2 hospital within the Saolta University Health Care Group. It provides a significant range of hospital services for patients in the region, including extended day surgery, certain acute medicine services and local minor injuries services. It also provides a wide array of diagnostic services, including endoscopy, laboratory medicine, point of care testing and radiology, as well as specialist rehabilitation medicine and palliative care services. The hospital has 86 inpatient beds and includes an acute mental health unit.
Roscommon University Hospital plays an essential role as part of the Saolta group of hospitals and will continue to do so into the future. We know that future growth in health care will be in the areas of chronic disease management, day surgery, diagnostics and rehabilitation services. The activity levels of model 2 hospitals such as Roscommon University Hospital will continue to increase in the coming years as these hospitals specialise in providing these services to meet the needs of the local population. A new endoscopy unit at the hospital opened on a phased basis on 1 June. When fully operational, all endoscopy procedures will be carried out in the new unit, freeing up theatre capacity for more day surgery cases to be carried out. The official opening of the unit will take place later this year and I am sure the Senator will attend, with many colleagues.
The specialist rehabilitation unit planned for Roscommon University Hospital was one of the many projects included in the HSE's multi-annual capital plan for the period 2015 to 2019 and internal HSE approval was granted to progress development of the unit in 2015. The spatial plan for the hospital was approved in the first quarter of 2016 and the project team, comprising hospital, clinical and estates personnel, is being assembled. Following this work by the project team, the project will move to the next stage. The HSE has advised the Department that funding for the project will be considered in the 2017 to 2021 multi-annual capital plan period. It is my expectation that every effort will be made to fund the project as early as possible in that time period.
I thank the Minister of State for her reply. I also thank her for her interest in issues affecting Roscommon where she will always be welcome. I ask her to take a personal interest in this issue and should she do so, I have confidence that the project will commence in 2017.
Sitting suspended at 11.10 a.m. and resumed at 11.30 a.m.