I welcome confirmation that the much anticipated motor link between Cahir and Limerick Junction has been included in the national development plan, NDP. The provision of this vital link not only makes sense but is crucial to providing safe road infrastructure. Equally important at this time is the provision of a bypass for Tipperary town. The Minister has acknowledged this need and is on record as being in favour of an early resolution to the menace of traffic in the town. As he knows, it is in an area of high traffic, with massive congestion. The current level of traffic through the narrow Main Street in the town is measured at approximately 85,000 vehicles a week, including heavy goods vehicles. This level of traffic through the centre of any town would prove detrimental to quality of life and business activity.

In March this year, the Minister agreed with my statement in the House that Tipperary should be liberated from the scourge of traffic congestion. Having listened to the details of the misery and nuisance being suffered by businesses and residents, he acknowledged that constructing a bypass of the town, ahead of any planned major works on the N24, would provide a solution. Having listened to the points I raised and due to his familiarity with the town, the Minister stated that the provision of a 6 km to 7 km stretch of roadway would form a bypass of Tipperary town and its construction should be a priority. He concurred with my assessment that traffic in the town exceeds efficient operational capacity and it needs rescuing from unacceptable levels of traffic and pollution. He referred to the national policy and strategy he is pursuing as Minister and, in that context, stated that a Tipperary town bypass is an example of a project that should be prioritised under the town centre first strategy. He agreed that a bypass for the town could be incorporated as a priority in an upgrade of the Cahir to Limerick Junction road.

Since the revised NDP was announced, we have had contradictory statements leading to uncertainty as to when road projects will be sanctioned and delivered. Where does the Minister stand on this issue now? Will funding be provided for the project and a bypass of Tipperary town built? What is the timeline for its provision? Will he publicly reiterate that the people of the town can look forward to clean air and freedom from fumes? The time for talking about freeing up their town from chaotic congestion and poisonous pollution is over. The time for sympathising with the people who are subjected to these conditions has come and gone. The time for rhetoric has passed. It is now time to tackle the problem and we are looking to the Minister for decisive action.

I am aware that the Deputy attended the meeting of the transport committee yesterday at which we looked at some of these issues, but he was not able to ask these particular questions. I am glad he can avail of the chance to do so today. As he heard yesterday, we have some €5.1 billion allocated to national roads under the NDP between now and 2030. The reality is that a large proportion of that, amounting to some €4 billion, will be spent in the latter half of the decade. A large number of public transport projects are coming through, including the Connecting Ireland rural public bus service, BusConnects and rail projects across the country, which require a large upfront capital investment in the next four to five years. This means there will be a tight constraint on the roads budget in the immediate coming years. Within those circumstances, we have to prioritise and give a clear signal on what should come first. I am saying to Transport Infrastructure Ireland, TII, which has responsibility for this, that priority should back up the national planning framework, which is about balanced regional development, compact development and low-carbon development, and should particularly complement the Government's town centre first strategy, which is about bringing life back into the beautiful 19th century market towns all over the country.

Tipperary town is a perfect example. It is a beautiful town with great people but it is suffering from really heavy volumes of traffic, particularly freight traffic, going right through its centre on Main Street. If I recall correctly from a survey carried out in the town, some 30% of retail businesses are not working because the town is dominated by that through traffic. I am glad to put on the record of the Dáil what I have often said to TII and will say again, namely, that in looking at the upgrade of the Cahir to Limerick Junction roadway, which is what it has been commissioned to do, it should, first and foremost, look at, and proceed with, the option of a bypass of Tipperary town, which could, as the road is later developed, be part of a wider upgrade. First things first, we must rescue Tipperary town from the excess domination of through traffic, particularly heavy freight.

It is a perfect example of what we can do, with a fairly small budget allocation, to advance the town centre first policy. It is perfect in terms of balanced regional development and it helps compact development and low-carbon development, which are the centre points of our transport strategy. Tipperary Town Council will have an opportunity to transform the centre of the town by taking as much through traffic out as possible and really improving the public realm. We have seen what happens in towns where that is done. There are examples across the country but I always pick Clonakilty because, in our family, it was a case of, "Clonakilty, God help us", and now it is an incredibly thriving town. That came about partly because the through traffic was taken out of the town, pedestrianisation was introduced and a really high-quality public realm was created. We can do the same in Tipperary town and that is what I will be saying to TII. We must make sure we get the design of the bypass right and get it built first. That is the priority for roads investment, as an example.

This will be music to Deputy Lowry's ears.

It is not usual for me to get good news, a Cheann Comhairle, so I certainly welcome the Minister's commitment to the project. I acknowledge that support, from the time I made the proposal to him and to the House that a bypass for Tipperary town be prioritised and should happen as the start of any project to upgrade the N24. It makes sense and I am glad he still agrees with the proposal. I welcome that he has informed TII of his priority in that regard. The commitment he has given today makes it a good day for Tipperary. It is time to give the town back to the people who live there.

I want to raise a point in the context of the Minister's position as one of the leaders of the Government. At my request, a task force was established with cross-agency reach to address a multitude of problems in Tipperary town. The group has received a huge level of engagement and co-operation from the community. To date, it has completed a substantial body of work and published a detailed plan. For it to retain the trust and confidence of the public, it is necessary for the Government to deliver a fully funded and tangible action plan. The most appropriate way to start this process is to have the Minister's confirmation today that he is in favour of a bypass for the town. I very much welcome it.

Engagement with the task force could be timed in a number of different ways. The Minister of State, Deputy Peter Burke, is involved in developing the town centre first strategy, which I understand is close to being ready for publication. The task force could work with him on that. It could also build on what the Minister for Finance, Deputy Donohoe, has done in implementing an historic change in terms of identifying vacant sites and lands that are not being developed and including them in the zoned land tax proposal he has brought forward. That should, more than anything, give a clear signal as to how we can bring life back into our towns and put buildings and accommodation back into town centres. The great advantage of this is that it uses existing resources. People can walk or cycle to the school, church or pub. It avoids having to constantly build out and spend a huge amount of resources on an ever more dispersed population model. The establishment of a Tipperary town task force is very timely and it could work with what the Minister of State, Deputy Burke, is doing on the town centre first policy and in conjunction with transport developments.