The Transport Minister has ruled out multi-annual funding for the State’s road building agency despite warnings several major road projects are at risk over long-term financial uncertainty.
Eamon Ryan insisted robust procedures were in place to ensure Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII) could deliver on an annual basis.
He set out his position in response to a parliamentary question from Fine Gael TD for Cork East David Stanton in the wake of warnings from TII’s chief executive Peter Walsh in the last month that some of the country’s biggest road projects could be delayed because of how funding is allocated to the TII on an annual basis only.
The ambitious M20 Cork to Limerick transport project and the M28 Cork to Ringaskiddy motorway are among the schemes which could be affected.
Mr Walsh said a multi-annual funding allocation would give TII certainty for several years ahead, and allow it to better plan for projects that take years to advance.
And while several large capital schemes are at various stages of development, TII’s pipeline for new road schemes was “very lean”, with just two projects, Galway City and Slane, with An Bord Pleanála for approval, he said.
“We would very much like to get more schemes into that pipeline but the current circumstances with funding constraints has resulted in a bit of a delay in the progression of that pipeline,” he said.
Mr Stanton said the proposed N72 Mallow relief road project was not granted enough funding at the start of this year and recently needed a supplementary allocation, and he urged the minister to provide TII with multi-annual funding.
The minister said while he has responsibility for overall policy and exchequer funding in relation to the national roads programme, the planning, design and construction of individual national roads is a matter for TII and relevant local authorities.
He said funding is put in place annually and exchequer funding is then drawn down by TII through the submission of invoices to his department.
“Robust procedures are in place to ensure that expenditure can be attributed to individual projects and there are regular meetings between the department and TII in relation to the roads programme throughout the year,” he said.
“There are currently no plans to provide multi-annual funding to TII for national road projects.”
Fine Gael’s election candidate in Cork North West, Cllr John Paul O’Shea, urged him to reverse the decision.
“There is no doubt that it will disproportionately impact regions outside Dublin and stifle economic opportunities for these regions,” he said.
“Long-term stability of capital in the form of multi-annual funding is critical to ensure the progression of these important projects.”
