TDs bid to halt possible re-routing of M20 Motorway
THE need to focus on constructing a route from Cork to Limerick via Mallow and Charleville was raised in the Dáil by Fianna Fáil Deputy Kevin O’Keeffe last week.
“It seems from the Programme for Government that the most the proponents of the M20 route from Cork to Limerick can hope for is a case study,” he said. “I understand that the route being considered by Transport Infrastructure Ireland involves the use of the M7 route between Cork and Cahir and the Waterford to Limerick route thereafter. That would increase by 40 km the number of kilometres travelled by road users who want to go from Cork to Limerick.”
Deputy O’Keeffe said he wished to ask the Government to use its political clout to tell Transport Infrastructure Ireland to focus on constructing a route from Cork to Limerick via Mallow and Charleville. “We know all about the importance of the rest of the route for the economic development of western Ireland and southern Ireland and for connectivity from Cork to Galway, etc. I know there is a cost factor. However, if one goes back to increasing the mileage, one is going against the grain of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by getting people to drive more miles to get to a certain route.
“Will the Government tell Transport Infrastructure Ireland to focus on the Cork-Limerick route going via Mallow and Charleville?”
Deputy Michael Moynihan said much work has been done on this route from Cork to Mallow to Charleville and on. “For connectivity in the south-west region, it would be a nonsense to build a corridor between Cork and Limerick, then changing its direction and adding 40 km to it,” said Deputy Moynihan.
In response, Education Minister Richard Bruton, who was deputising for the Taoiseach, said he wished to advise both deputies to table a parliamentary question on the matter as he was not in a position to answer their questions. percentage of the total working population engaged in agriculture.
“The change introduced in the new Rural Development regulations required from 2018 eligible areas to instead be designated using a set list of biophysical criteria.
“In cases where a member state does not introduce this system for payment, the regulations set out that the old scheme remains in place but payments must be phased out on a digressive basis.”
The purpose of the change, said Minister Creed, is linked with a concern at European Union level that areas were not being designated as disadvantaged in a consistent manner across the various member states. The biophysical criteria set out in the legislation to underpin the new system of designation are low temperature, dryness, excess soil moisture, limited soil drainage, unfavourable texture and stoniness, shallow rooting depth, poor chemical properties and steep slope.
“My Department has commenced work on the project and relevant technical experts are working on sourcing and analysing the data for the new criteria,” he said. “Departmental officials have also been in contact with the joint research centre and the Directorate General for Agriculture, DG Agri, in the European Commission about technical issues arising.”