asked the Minister for the Environment the reason for the delay in commencing the proposed major road improvement projects listed to commence in 1985.

Four schemes have started already and satisfactory progress has been made in the pre-construction procedures relating to the other schemes scheduled to commence in 1985.

Regarding the 54 major schemes which will be commenced and completed during the period 1985 to 1987, 20 schemes are already in progress and work is expected to start on a further three schemes within a few months. Since the plan was published, nine public inquiries have been held and arrangements have been made to hold a further three inquiries within the next three months. Earlier this month Dublin County Council approved a toll scheme for the Road linking the Lucan Road and Navan Road in Dublin at a cost of over £25 million. This scheme should start next year. To date, State expenditure on road grants is some £2 million ahead of target.

Further particulars of the schemes referred to in my reply are included in a statement which I propose to circulate in the Official Report. Following is the statement:—

Progress Report on new Road Plan

The new Road Plan lists 54 major projects which will be commenced and/or completed during the period 1985 to 1987.

(1) 20 schemes are in progress:

—Navan Relief Road (Meath)

—Athlone By-Pass

—*Oranmore By-Pass (Galway)

—Roscrea By-Pass (Tipperary)

—Leighlinbridge By-Pass (Carlow)

—*Brownswood/Edermine (Wexford)

—Wexford By-Pass

—Midleton By-Pass (Cork)

—Waterford Bridge

—Dock Road/Ferrybank (Waterford)

—Slieverue By-Pass (Kilkenny)

—Askeaton By-Pass (Limerick)

—Mountgarret/Scarke (Wexford)

—Tallaght By-Pass (Dublin)

—*Southern Ring Road (Cork)

—Northern Ring Road (Cork)

—Opera House Bridge (Cork)

—Corrib Bridge (Galway)

—Inner Relief Road (Phase II), Dundalk

—*Chapelizod By-Pass (Dublin)

* The four schemes with an asterisk started this year.

(2) Work is expected to start within a few months on three schemes:

—Lucan By-Pass (Dublin)

—Mallow Street Bridge (Limerick)

—Blackrock By-Pass (Dublin)

(3) Since the plan was published, nine public inquiries have been held:

—Dunleer By-Pass (Louth)

—Navan Road (Dublin)

—Bray/Shankill

—Newtownmountkennedy (Wicklow)

—Port Road/Manorcunningham (Donegal)

—Limerick/Ballycasey

—Clanbrassil Street (Dublin)

—Patrick Street (Dublin)

—Dungarvan (Waterford)

(4) The Inspector's report on the Glanmire By-Pass inquiry in Cork is expected shortly.

(5) Three further inquiries will be held soon:

—Remaining 14 mile section of Cork/Mallow (June)

—Newbridge By-Pass (July)

—Downstream Crossing of River Lee (September)

(6) Without prejudice to the statutory procedures involved, the Government have no objection to proposals received from Conor Holdings Ltd. for funding a road linking the Lucan Road and the Navan Road at a cost of over £25 million. Dublin County Council approved the toll scheme for this route on 10 June, 1985, and the necessary public inquiry will be held later in the year. The scheme should start next year.

(7) The total State road grant for 1985 is £152.5 million. Between 1 January and 31 May, 1985, £54.5 million was paid to local authorities, which is £2 million more than scheduled in the monthly expenditure profile prepared at the beginning of the year.

Can the Minister inform the House which of the nine schemes have commenced? I understand from the document, Policy and Planning, Framework for Roads, published in January 1985 that the proposal was that nine major roadworks would commence this year. As we are now half way through the year I would appreciate the Minister informing the House which schemes have commenced and when the remainder are likely to commence?

The following is the present position regarding the schemes listed in the plan referred to. Work on the Chapelizod by-pass started at the end of May and the 1985 grant commitment in that regard is £1.755 million. The final engineering document in respect of the Lucan by-pass has been prepared and construction is expected to commence in the autumn. The grant commitment in that respect is £2.1 million. Work is in progress on the Oranmore by-pass in respect of which the grant commitment this year is £1.5 million. At the CPO public inquiry on 6 May objections were lodged in respect of the Newtownmountkennedy by-pass scheme. These objections are being considered and a decision is expected in the matter in July. The 1985 grant commitment in respect of that scheme is £500,000. In respect of the Brownswood-Edermine, Wexford road, work is in progress. The 1985 grant commitment in that regard is £1 million. Regarding the Port Road, Manorcunningham scheme, objections were registered at the CPO public inquiry on 4 March last. These are being considered and a decision in the matter is expected in July. The 1985 grant commitment in that respect is £0.625 million. Work is in progress on the Southern Ring Road in Cork in respect of which the 1985 grant commitment is £2.2 million. Contract documents are an an advanced stage of preparation in respect of the Blackrock by-pass. Advertising for tenders is likely to be in September and the work is expected to commence later in the year. In respect of that scheme the 1985 grant commitment is £1.3 million. Phase work is in progress on the Kilkenny inner relief road in respect of which the 1985 commitment is £0.4 million.

Can the Minister say how the Government could have published a programme for road construction works which were to commence in 1985 when the land had not even been acquired on which such roads were to be constructed? Am I to take the Minister's reply as indicating that in a number of cases compulsory purchase orders have not been finalised, and had not been finalised at the time these dates were inserted in the Government's programme, giving a false impression of the amount of capital which would be invested in road construction in 1985? Is the Minister aware that the major companies involved in road construction have stated recently that 75 per cent of their machinery is lying idle in yards awaiting the Government release of the major road works programme they announced and to which they are committed? Surely it is clear that a lot of these road works cannot possibly commence in 1985 because advanced planning had not been completed and, in many cases, the land had not even been purchased?

Not in many cases. I mentioned the Newtownmountkennedy by-pass CPO having taken place on 6 May and another, in the case of the Port Road, Manorcunningham in Donegal, where objections to the scheme and a CPO inquiry were made on 13 March 1985 and which are being considered. Those are the only two where the CPO hold-up could be advanced as an excuse for not perhaps commencing on time. These are the procedures people are entitled to follow in the case of these major contracts. I also stated, in reply to the Deputy, that the programme is running £2 million ahead of target. Therefore I am satisfied that progress in general is not only on target but is ahead of target at this time.

No, the Minister said that expenditure was running £2 million ahead of target. It is very easy to run expenditure ahead of whatever target one is talking about because, in many cases, one is paying for work done last year. Is the Minister not aware that CPOs, from the time of initiation to completion, have taken up to eight years, and that it was very wrong of the Government to include any proposal commencement in 1985 where there was a CPO involved because of the long delay and tortuous procedures which apply to CPOs? Surely the Minister must admit that it was somewhat optimistic, and not the proper thing to do, to include works, indicating that they would be commenced, when in fact the land had not even been acquired or the designing completed, as has been indicated from some of these replies?

The Deputy appears to be clutching at two straws in endeavouring to make a case which is not a valid one. Progress on the roads programme is moving ahead. I have indicated what is the situation in regard to the nine projects for this year. In only two cases is the CPO in question.