386 Mr. D. Carey asked the Minister for the Environment and Local Government if the Ennis inner relief road project has been indefinitely postponed; if his attention has been drawn to the congestion encountered by people trying to access the town of Ennis and its environs; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27941/01]

Clare County Council submitted applications for funding for the Ennis inner relief road project in 1999 and 2000 respectively, under the EU co-financed specific improvement grant scheme. These applications, together with all other applications under the scheme, were considered in my Department, having regard to compliance with eligibility criteria, the need to prioritise project and the funds available for the scheme in 1999 and 2000. In the event this project was not among those projects, which were selected for funding in Clare in 1999 and 2000. Clare County Council did not include the Ennis inner relief road project in its application for funding under the EU co-financed scheme specific improvement grant scheme in 2001.

However, it remains open to the council to prioritise this scheme for funding, when submitting applications under the above scheme in 2002. The deadline for the receipt of applications under this scheme is 23 November 2001. Allocations to local authorities under this and all other non-national road grant categories will be announced early in 2002.