I raise the issue of the Galway city outer bypass. Yesterday, the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications and the Minister for Transport, Deputy Eamon Ryan, stated publicly that this ring-road cannot proceed because we would be breaking laws. This comes on foot of a fresh review that is going to be done by An Bord Pleanála. For the people of Galway, there is much confusion concerning what is going on. What is the Government's policy and what are we doing in Galway city? We have businesspeople who have been advocating for this project for the last ten to 15 years. We have probably spent €25 million to €30 million on doing planning permissions. These have failed, gone to Europe or whatever. We have then started off again. We have land that has been frozen for the last eight to ten years and houses that cannot be sold because they are on this preferred route for a road. We have people travelling into and out of work stuck for maybe 90 minutes each way on a small section to get into the city from the east and south of the county.

We have uncertain development regarding the city, which is the engine for the region to develop. I will give the Tánaiste one small example. We need to put in a new fire station in Galway city but we cannot decide on what site we are going to put it on until we decide on the outer bypass. Yesterday, I think the Minister, Deputy Eamon Ryan, said that this cannot go ahead and cannot proceed. What is happening is that people are wondering what the Government's policy is here. Are we building an outer bypass, are we doing something else or are we doing nothing at all? This is in the national development plan as a project to be done and it is part of the programme for Government. The people of Galway and the region, though, deserve better than just a flippant announcement yesterday that this project cannot proceed, while at same time An Bord Pleanála is going to review the application again. Is this announcement pre-empting its decision?

What is the Government's policy regarding this outer ring road? We have been told the climate action laws must be adhered to and that we cannot break them. Will somebody tell me if we are breaking laws right now by proposing to undertake this outer ring road? Should we be up-front with people and tell them what we are going to do? We had talk about a light rail system for Galway city. We have also had talk about other things for Galway city and all we have are reports upon reports upon studies. We do not even have one park-and-ride facility in Galway city now. Going back to the time of the former Deputy, Noel Dempsey, when he was the Minister for Transport he opened a section of a bus lane in 2007 in Claregalway. The second section of this bus lane has not yet been done. We do not need to acquire land for this endeavour, it is just tied up in paper.

I thank the Deputy for raising this very important and pertinent issue, especially for the people of Galway. I, along with many people, see the N6 Galway city ring road project as essential in terms of the growth and development of Galway city and also for the relief of unacceptable congestion there. The current congestion is contributing negatively to climate change targets. With the current volume of vehicles on the existing network, we all know and we can all see that Galway city is suffering from extreme congestion in its centre and increased journey times.

I was recently at the opening of the Macroom bypass. In jest afterwards, I said that we had liberated Macroom. The point being that the quality of life in Macroom now is vastly improved because of the Ballyvourney bypass in terms of congestion, air pollution, climate change targets etc. in the sense that traffic and gridlock cause vehicles to emit fossil fuels for a longer period than they perhaps should be. In any event, the relief to people there is palpable.

Galway city has suffered for decades now because of the failure to progress this project. It has been held up in the planning arena. The clear Government position is as per the programme for Government and the national development plan agreed for 2021 to 2030, which is that this proposed project is to go ahead. This proposed project is included in the national development plan and this remains the Government's position. Obviously, people have different perspectives and the Minister made remarks yesterday in respect of the broader issue. I think he said he wanted to see changes in terms of that particular project, but the specifics of that were not outlined nor I think did he suggest that he had specific elements in mind. I must be clear that, as per the programme for Government and the national development plan, this project is to go ahead.

I am delighted for Macroom but I am more worried about Galway city. What the Tánaiste is saying is great, but where does the Minister for Transport stand in this? The body which will fund this project is the Department of Transport. Will we, therefore, get a clear Government message on this project? I will repeat what the Minister, Deputy Eamon Ryan, said. He said this road cannot proceed and that we must take the climate action laws into account. Effectively, then, people are wondering what in the name of God is happening here and can we have clear leadership regarding what is going to happen so we do not have any more confusion.

Personally, I believe the An Bord Pleanála review is compromised if the Department of Transport and the Minister who is the head of it, and also the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications, have said that this project cannot proceed and that we must work within the laws. This is very confusing. It is not right that a project of this nature, as the Tánaiste set out, is being put out there in a cloud of indecision and uncertainty. We do not know what is happening.

I want to be very clear. As the Deputy knows, Galway City Council and Galway County Council issued a joint statement with Transport Infrastructure Ireland, TII, this week in which they indicated they remain committed to the delivery of the N6 Galway city ring road. The Government's position is as per the national development plan and this project is included in the allocation of resources over ten years of that plan. The then Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform, Deputy Michael McGrath, allocated these resources and this was agreed by the Cabinet. It was also agreed by the three party leaders, along with the Minister for Finance and the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform. This is the formal position and there has been no change in this regard in respect of the Galway city ring road.