Bradford criticises decision to postpone Cork-Limerick M20
PEOPLE in the Cork and Limerick region are bemused, surprised but, above all, bitterly disappointed that the news in regard to the Cork-Limerick motorway currently appears so negative, Renua Senator Paul Bradford told the Upper House.
This project, which is urgently required from a regional balance point of view, a job creation point of view and a safety point of view, has been on the planning shelves for quite some time, he said.
“It was back in 2011 when the Minister’s predecessor (Leo Varadkar), again due to the economic difficulties then facing the country and the new Government, took the decision to put the project into cold storage,” he said. “As the economy begins to develop and grow, as the Government begins to work on projects such as the Action Plan for Jobs, as the Minister, Deputy Bruton, talks about regional development, as the prospect of building new industrial sites across the country improves and as regional growth strategies are being considered, it is urgent that this idea of a new Cork-Limerick motorway be put back on track, if the House will excuse the pun.”
Senator Bradford said the two very large centres of population, Cork and Limerick, could be brought much closer together from a transport perspective if this project was delivered. This would be a major boost to the towns of Mallow, Buttevant, Charleville and Macroom, and places like Cork Airport would come back on the agenda very much strengthened.
“For those reasons and much more, this is something the Minister has to reflect deeply upon,” he said. “However, it is a question of value for money and what is the long-term positive consequence of putting this project back on track.”
In reply, Transport Minister Paschal Donohoe said given the national financial position, there have been large reductions in the Exchequer funding available for roads expenditure over recent years. In 2008, we were investing €2.3 billion in roads. This year, the funding is approximately €730 million.
“The challenge I face is that the funds available to my Department at present do not match the amount of work that needs to be undertaken,” he said. “For this reason, only a small number of road improvement projects, including PPP projects in the Government’s 2012 infrastructure stimulus programme, are being progressed to construction stage.”
The Minister said his predecessor had to decide in 2011 that the M20 scheme should be withdrawn from An Bord Pleanála because budgetary constraints meant that there was no prospect of the scheme going to construction within a reasonable period of time and approval of the then plan by the Board would have triggered land acquisition costs of the order of between €90 million and €100 million.
“When the NRA raised the possibility of restarting planning on a Cork to Limerick motorway, I was conscious that capital funding is still very constrained, presenting real difficulties in relation to the scale of the M20 - an 80 km road with a projected cost of €800 million,” he said.
“I was also conscious of the continuing need to prioritise expenditure on maintenance and renewal, not only for roads but also for public transport.” SINCE taking office in 2011, the Government has been determined to fulfil the mandate given to it by the Irish people to repair the economy and public finances, create jobs and give our citizens confidence in a better future, Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Seán Sherlock told the Dáil.
He said the scale of the economic crisis we have gone through was unprecedented in Ireland’s history. Difficult decisions had been taken and huge sacrifices had been made by the Irish people, but this has not been in vain.
“The spring economic statement confirms the path that has been taken was the right one,” he said. “As we now plan for the remainder of this decade, our citizens have every reason to be confident and hopeful about their future. This future will have steady, stable economic growth and more people working in secure and sustainable jobs than ever before in the history of the State.
“It will be a future of stable public finances that will deliver money in people’s pockets, higher quality public services and strategic investment in essential infrastructure throughout the country. These hard-won gains require protecting and securing and building on them for the future is the priority.”
Minister Sherlock said the facts clearly show the policies of the Government have worked and will continue to work in the years ahead.
“Our economy is growing at the fastest rate in Europe, by 4.8% in 2014, and the Department is forecasting growth of 4% this year,” he said. “Steady, stable economic growth of 3.75% on average is forecast for the remainder of the decade.
“Undoubtedly, in recent years considerable sacrifices were made by the people of Ireland and it posed challenges in terms of the progressive realisation of economic, social and cultural rights in Ireland in line with the covenant before us now. However, as I have stated, we are already seeing the fruits of our labour.”