The good news from Galway is that unemployment levels are dropping and more people are returning to work, as is the case in most parts of the country. The bad news for Galway is that this also means more cars on the road and that a city that is famous worldwide for all sorts of good reasons is becoming known more and more for its appalling traffic problems.

The Galway city outer bypass or ring road will not be opened until at least 2026. That is assuming that it gets the necessary go ahead. The history of the project, which has been stuck in the pipeline for two decades, would not fill one with confidence on that score. What are we going to do in the meantime? Is the city expected to come to a standstill for the next ten years, with everyone sitting in his or her car while Galway becomes one giant car park? Dublin, Cork, Limerick and Waterford have bypasses. Galway is officially the third largest city in the country, yet there is still no bypass in sight and traffic volumes are growing by the month.

In that regard, people like Mr. John Gormley, the former Green Party Minister for the environment, has much to answer for because, but for their objections over everything from snails to bog cotton and limestone pavements, the road, which would have been a vital addition to the infrastructure of a vibrant and growing city, would have been built years ago.

The current plan, involving a bypass, a ring road stretching from the eastern approaches to the west of the city, and the building of a fifth bridge over the River Corrib is going through a process at the moment that will take time. Currently, submissions are being invited from the public on the proposed route and the design will not be finished until the end of January. Then it has to go through the entire planning process and there is still no guarantee that at the end of the day we will have a road that will solve Galway's woeful traffic problems. We had plans before that have fallen at various hurdles.

We hear every morning on the radio about the traffic congestion in Claregalway and Parkmore. The only solution to the problem in Claregalway is an inner relief road as the new M17-M18 will not solve the traffic problems in the village, given that a new secondary school has now opened with more than 1,000 students enrolled. The situation in Parkmore is even more serious, with approximately 10,000 people travelling daily to and from work on a single road. Employers concerned about the continuing effects of traffic congestion on productivity, future expansion plans and job security.

What is plan B for Galway? We cannot sit on this process for another decade. Could we put a task force in place to find a solution? Where large factories close in major towns, a task force is put in place to try to find a replacement. Galway must now have the same urgent response. We are losing industry in Galway right now because of the city's traffic problems. It is a fact that we are losing employment and investment. I know of a number of companies that looked at Galway in recent months and they decided not to locate there due to the traffic problems. Will the Taoiseach give a commitment that funding will be provided this year to try to find a quick-fix solution to the traffic problems in Galway city and county?

I thank Deputy Grealish for his question. There has been very strong growth and an increase in employment in the Galway area in recent years and it has exacerbated the problems that were already in existence in the city, which now has a population of 90,000 in the immediate city area. As Deputy Grealish is aware, the overall transport strategy was prepared by the National Transport Authority, NTA, in partnership with Galway City Council and Galway County Council during the course of 2016. That strategy set out the overall framework for the development of a transport infrastructure and services in Galway city and its environs over the next 20 years. The strategy has been included now in the city development plan that was adopted by the city council on 7 January this year. That sets out a strategy for a vibrant city where traffic is rerouted through the central core area, there are improved pedestrian and cycling facilities and it also provides for an enhanced bus network which will provide a much improved public transport service. It also provides for the development of park-and-ride facilities at suitable locations. I am advised that the existing service from the racecourse, which was developed over the Christmas period, was very successful.

To respond directly to Deputy Grealish's question, the transport strategy also includes the Galway city outer bypass, which is recognised as an absolute priority, as the Deputy will understand. Overall, the transport strategy represents a coherent set of propositions to deal with Galway in the medium and longer term. It is important to stress that all of the proposals cannot be delivered at once, nor is any single option the panacea for Galway city and the general area, which will increase in population significantly in the next 20 years. Elements of the bus network and parking facilities will help the situation in their own way but the priority is to implement the transport strategy.

Deputy Grealish mentioned Parkmore business park where there is significant traffic congestion on a constant basis. Work has been progressed there to develop both a short-term and long-term solution to Parkmore. Galway City Council, funded through the NTA, under the Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport, has appointed a design team to examine options for possible short-term additions to address access to the business park and exits from it, in addition to identifying a longer-term solution. Proposals will be identified and assessed by the end of February and, depending on the funding implications, I understand it may be possible to commence some of the smaller measures during 2017. The design team will evaluate options for the longer term and a more comprehensive solution to access employment lands may include a reconfiguration of the Monivea Road and Parkmore Road junction or the Monivea and No. 6, Briarhill, junction as well as the provision of further park and ride arrangements.

I thank the Taoiseach for his reply. I know consultants have been appointed to look at the Parkmore Road infrastructure in particular but what they are proposing involves just tweaking the traffic lights on the Monivea Road. That will not solve the problem. I put a proposal to Galway City Council and Galway County Council that involves using Galway Airport for a park-and-ride facility to serve Parkmore where nearly 10,000 people work. I have met with all the top executives in Parkmore. These are multinational companies - people who are concerned about the traffic problems. They said they would even look at co-funding to put a park-and-ride facility in place. Over the past two decades in Galway, every egg was put in one basket, which was the Galway city outer road. There are major problems in the middle of the city relating to proper bus lanes from east to west. When Galway city was developed, it involved bad planning. All the houses are on the west of the city while all of the industry is on the east. Approximately 7,000 people are trying to cross the city every day to get to work. That is bad planning. We do not even have a proper bus service to get from east to west in Galway city. I ask the Taoiseach to put proper funding in place this year to find some sort of quick-fix solution to provide a proper public transport service within Galway city that would service Parkmore, where people work, in particular.

The Deputy has made a novel suggestion in respect of park-and-ride facilities and I will have it brought to the attention of the National Transport Authority. Obviously, it is concerned that the major propositions for the Galway outer ring road would be seriously expensive. At the same time, there needs to be a focus on more than tweaking a traffic light at Monivea. The suggestion made by the Deputy is novel and I will have it brought to the attention of the National Transport Authority. The design details for the longer term will be available later this year. In respect of funding, there will be a major capital review to be carried by June 2017. This can feed into that. I travelled the road there recently and got caught in one of those traffic jams the same as everybody else but I am glad to see that very significant progress has been made on the Gort-Tuam motorway which will add somewhat to the relief of congestion generally.