2026-02-11

The announcement by the Minister for Transport, Deputy O'Brien, regarding the Transport Infrastructure Ireland, TII, national roads allocation for 2026 is expected next week. I urge the Taoiseach to prioritise the N24 Waterford to Cahir project. It is an essential piece of infrastructure for Tipperary, Waterford, Kilkenny and the whole south-east region. We have just endured one of the worst years for fatalities nationwide. The N24 in Tipperary alone, which is just 65 km of roadway, or 1% of our county's road network, accounts for 25% of our road deaths. That is a shocking statistic - 1% of the network is causing a quarter of fatalities. That reality alone demands immediate intervention. One fatality is one too many. We sympathise with all the families. This appeal comes not just from me; it has the backing of Oireachtas Members across the three counties. Over the past 20 years, €10.7 million of public money has been spent already on scoping, assessments and everything else. Without sufficient allocation for Transport Infrastructure Ireland, TII, that investment will be wasted and the project will stall yet again. While last year's national development sectoral plan included a welcome commitment to progressing this project, it is now time to turn commitment to delivery. Kilkenny County Council is the lead authority but the N24 is a lifeline for the entire region, connecting Waterford and Limerick to the ports at Foynes and Rosslare and supporting thousands of daily commuters, freight users and local communities. I also acknowledge the ongoing work of Tipperary County Council roads section, including Liam Brett, John Nolan and their colleagues. Some €3 million is urgently required this month from the Department to prevent the project collapsing. We cannot allow the N24 to be shelved again, as it was in 2002 and 2012. If funding is withheld in 2026, it could take more than a decade to return to the current stage of readiness. Surveys, route options and a preferred transport solution have all been completed at taxpayers' expense. The preferred route proposes a 38% offline and 52% online upgrade. While I have concerns about elements of this near Clonmel, Kilsheelan and even Knockagh near Cahir, they can be reviewed when the scheme progresses to An Coimisiún Pleanála. We simply cannot afford to lose this project again. We must remember the human impact. Several families and landowners face land being sterilised, with some being threatened with their houses being demolished. They are also stressed, so it needs to come to an end. A further €9 million in the next three to four years will bring the project through the statutory planning process. The existing contracts with consultants-----

Thank you, Deputy.

-----expire on 11 April so funding is time critical-----

Taoiseach to respond.

-----and delivering the first €3 million next week is vital.

I thank the Deputy for raising this issue. I also welcome the CIÉ workers - perhaps they are gone now - given my background.

They are just leaving.

Deputy McGrath said the Minister announced-----

It will be announced next week.

It will be next week. I could not agree more with the Deputy about the importance of road infrastructure. I always argue that the primary objective is road safety. When we did the motorways and so on, that contributed to the reduction of road fatalities and injuries on our roads. We have no issue there. I will talk to the Minister and ask him what his plans are for the N24. The Deputy said that a lot of money has already been spent and that approximately €9 million would get it through the statutory process over the next number of years. I will engage with the Minister on that. The human impact is key but, as the Deputy said, it is also economically important in terms of people, mobility, tourism, freight and the movement of goods and services. They are extremely important. I think the Deputy said Kilkenny County Council is the lead council and we will engage with it on this. I do not have the full programme in front of me and I am not in a position to outline the specific details of the programme of funding the Minister will announce. I also note the Deputy's praise of the officials in Tipperary County Council. He clearly has a positive and constructive relationship with them on roads and so on. These roads have to be done. Therefore, anything we can do to get them through the statutory process, we should do. Otherwise it can go on forever. At least if we get to the planning permission stage, there is a clear map ahead. Often a lot of the delays are in the design and planning permitting stages of a project. I will talk to the Minister to see what we can do about this.

I thank the Taoiseach for his reply. It is vital the project gets €3 million this year, otherwise the contracts will end on 11 April and the work will stop. I have been around long enough to have noticed that it was halted in 2002 and 2012, at huge inconvenience to and angst for the landowners and property owners, along with land being sterilised and wide corridors. That has been reduced, thank God, but there are still landowners on the line. There is a proposal to do the line with some off road and some on road. It is vital. Kilkenny County Council made a presentation to all Oireachtas Members in the area to keep this alive. If it is shelved again, it will take another ten years. At least if it is shovel ready and goes to An Coimisiún Pleanála and progresses there, it will be kept alive. It is too important to daily lives and safety, as the Taoiseach mentioned. I welcome that. Look at the carnage. Imagine that number of deaths on 1% of our roads in Tipperary. That tells its own story. I have been involved with some of the families who suffered fatalities there. It is a terrible road. It is hugely important artery between Foynes Port and Rosslare for the trucks and the bypass of Tipperary town is included in that. It is badly needed to keep this project alive.

I hear the Deputy loud and clear about keeping the project alive. As I said earlier, we should try to progress projects as far as we can. There are not endless sums of money for every road project at the one time but we can progress projects and I will talk to the Minister about this to see what the pressure on him is and what he is in a position to do. We certainly hear the Deputy loud and clear.