At the risk of being accused of parochialism, I raise the issue of the tourism capital of not only Europe but also the world, namely, the great town of Killarney.

I do not need to tell the Taoiseach the importance of tourism in County Kerry. It is well known in County Kerry that when Killarney town is doing well so too is the rest of the county, including Kenmare, Dingle, Listowel and Tralee. The Taoiseach, being a regular visitor to Killarney, knows the benefits of Killarney to County Kerry and the country. Credit for this must be given to the great families who have built up Killarney through the years, including the hoteliers, the O'Callaghan’s, the O’Donoghue family of the Gleneagle Group and world-renowned INEC, the great Liebherr family of the Hotel Europe and Liebherr Cranes Ireland-----

And the great Healy-Rae family.

-----who provide massive employment in Killarney town, the Randles family of Muckross Road, Padraig Tracey of the Killarney Park Hotel, the O’Donoghue family of the Killarney Towers, the Riordan family of the Castleheights Hotel and the Scally family of the Malton Hotel. These families have worked with others to build the town of Killarney to what it is today. As the Taoiseach was informed yesterday, in September 2015, Kerry County Council and Killarney Municipal District appointed Malachy Walsh and Partners, under the stewardship of Ciaran O’Callaghan and its director, Mr. Jack O’Leary, to carry out the Killarney Town Traffic Model-Traffic Management Study. The main aim of the study was to review the transportation network and associated demands, with particular attention to the town centre area, with the objective of determining the impact of proposed infrastructural measures to cope with the existing and future vehicular, pedestrian and cyclist traffic volumes. This report has at its core sustainable transport initiatives, including non-car based travel. A number of recommendations have been made, including new road links to include an inner relief road linking High Street and New Street via Boreen Na Goun which would reduce peak hour traffic on the Park Road and the Killarney bypass road and a southern outer relief road linking the N22 to the Muckross Road, N71. This, in my opinion, is of vital importance to Killarney. It would also, in turn, be of great service to the world famous Gleneagle Hotel and the INEC. I believe funding for a southern outer relief road should be provided by the Minister and Transport Infrastructure Ireland, TII, as soon as possible.

Another huge issue in Killarney is the lack of car parking. According to the study, a new multi-storey car park is needed immediately in the Beech Road-New Street car park area.

Order, please.

It is not good enough that a town, the population of which more than doubles in the peak tourism seasons, does not have adequate car parking. For this reason, I am calling for provision to be made for a new 300 space multi-storey car park in Killarney. I call on TII and the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport to assess this situation. I have also called on the Minister on a number of occasions to provide a roundabout at the junction of Madams Hill where the L2019 meets the N22-----

Order, please.

-----which is a constant source of congestion on the outskirts of the town. The report also recommends that a transport hub be located at or near the railway station and that high-quality pedestrian links be provided between the hub and the town.

The Deputy's time has expired.

Kerry County Council cannot implement any of the above without adequate funding, which can only come from the Departments of this Government.

In future, when other Members of this House are raising issues, be they of national or local importance, I will heckle them and display the kind of bad manners that many Members have displayed here today.

Hear, hear.

Shame on those who did so. They should have some cop on when a person is trying to make an important point.

Hear, hear.

The Deputy went over time by approximately one minute. I know that the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport is watching these proceedings and taking careful note of the points he made. If ever there was an example of the inadequacy, as referred to at European Council meetings, of people not listening, Deputy Michael Healy-Rae has demonstrated today that he is listening. Perhaps the Deputy should call in the family. The issues raised by him are maters for the local authorities. Kerry County Council held its budget meeting on 14 November last, at which the budget for 2017 was fixed. Deputy Healy-Rae will be aware that Kerry County Council will receive a local property tax allocation of almost €14 million in 2017 from the Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government.

It is a matter for each local authority and, therefore, the members to determine their own spending priorities as part of that budgetary process. The roundabouts, bypasses, slip roads and other projects have to be considered by the members of the local authority. I know that the Deputy knows a few of those very well indeed. They have direct responsibility. The Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport is responsible for the general legislation in regard to traffic matters, and that Department has published its general guidance documents. These have been taken into account in respect of Killarney.

Killarney is facing competition because National Geographic has pointed out recently that, in its opinion, Donegal is now the coolest place in the world. At long last, the north west and Donegal have come to the fore to challenge the might of Kerry. We have had that on many fields, as Deputy Michael Healy-Rae knows.

The proposals in the study on new link roads and the regional and local roads are also the statutory responsibility of the county council, in accordance with section 13 of the Roads Act 1993. The Deputy has raised the point in the national Parliament and I respect his absolute right to do that but the responsibility here rests with the members of the local authority. I am sure that the traders and people in Killarney, which is such a magnificent town, will respond to their decisions on these matters.

I was delighted that Fitzgerald Stadium in Killarney was chosen as one of the stadiums proposed to host the games should Ireland's bid for the 2023 Rugby World Cup be successful. People cannot watch any game in Killarney, however, if they are backed up in traffic on the N22. I ask that the Taoiseach, along with the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport and officials from Transport Infrastructure Ireland, go through this important report and provide adequate funding to implement the important recommendations I have mentioned. They should be implemented in conjunction with Kerry County Council to ensure Killarney remains the great town that it is. I emphasise again that it is the tourism capital of the world. It should be made an even more accessible town and it should not be allowed to become a bottleneck like some of the other towns around Ireland.

Mr. Malachy Walsh produced an excellent report for Killarney town. Somebody would want to produce a report for Dublin because the traffic here is chaotic. While one can make a great run to Dublin now as far as the Red Cow roundabout, thereafter one might as well get out of the car and walk the rest of the way.

These are the challenges of the outstanding success of the Government in reducing unemployment and growing the economy. They have to be met.

By cancelling metro north. What about the electrification of the line to Balbriggan?

I was glad to see the Castleisland bypass put in place a couple of years ago. The Deputy will be glad to know that the road from Ballyvourney through Macroom to Cork is already on the major programme for development over the coming years. I agree that it is right and proper that Killarney be included. I hope we do win the joint bid to host the 2023 Rugby World Cup. Killarney is an outstanding place with all the accommodation available. Would it not be nice if Australia, for instance, were based there for five or six weeks? The draw and the tourism impact would be enormous. Killarney is much better equipped than many other towns to cater for that. I am sure that in the time ahead, the plans and programmes laid out by both the Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport and the local authority will continue to improve.

The Deputy has made his point and it is well taken. I hope the members of the local authority will make their decisions in respect of some of the issues to which he has referred.