I thank the Minister of State, Deputy Buttimer, for staying with us. For more than 40 years, the people of west Cork have listened to politicians talk about upgrading the N71, but very little has changed in those 40 years. The N71 remains a national route in name only. In reality, it is a narrow, twisting and crumbling stretch of road that has seen little investment since the 1970s. Those of us who drive on it daily know its dangers all too well, including blind bends, no safe passing lanes and surfaces that would shame any other national route in the country. It is impacting our towns and villages. Innishannon, Bandon, Clonakilty and Bantry are all choked with congestion, which has an immense toll on daily life.

This is not just about a matter of convenience; it is a matter of safety, fairness and regional equality. The N71 is west Cork’s lifeline. It carries our families, farmers, students and workers and our many visitors. It brings food from our fields and fish from our harbours to market. It sustains our tourism economy. For years, we have heard talk about feasibility studies, potential funding and future phases, but talk does not fill potholes and hints of funding do not build bypasses. While the N22 to Kerry has been transformed and the N20 to Limerick is being advanced towards motorway standard, our N71 still carries the same pinch points, bottlenecks and risks that existed two generations ago. That is not acceptable in 2025.

Since I was elected as a councillor and subsequently privileged to be appointed to Seanad Éireann, I have and will continue to raise the matter of the N71. It is one of my clear political priorities. Recently, we have heard talks of so-called hints of funding for the N71. The people of west Cork deserve better. We deserve more than hints. We want clear action and a plan. Our infrastructure in west Cork has been neglected for years. We see plenty in terms of social media delivery but we have yet to see tangible delivery where it matters on the ground. We need certainty and a clear multiyear funding commitment to bring this vital road up to modern standards. That means proper bypasses of our key towns; proper passing lanes; the realignment of dangerous bends and junctions; new surfaces, drainage and signage; and safe walking and cycling links near our schools and villages. These are not luxuries; they are the basic expectations for any national route in this country.

We the people of west Cork are not asking for a motorway. We are common sense, practical people. We are asking for equality. Over recent decades, other parts of the country have received transformative investment, and rightly so. West Cork now deserves similar treatment. Every visitor who drives onto the N71 from the Bandon road roundabout can see exactly where investment stops. That is not just bad optics; it is bad economics. It sends a clear message that west Cork has been left behind. It is time to change that. I am calling today for a co-ordinated corridor plan for the entire N71, from Innishannon through Bandon, Clonakilty, Skibbereen and Bantry and on to Glengarriff. We cannot continue a piecemeal, town-by-town announcement that goes nowhere. We need one joined-up vision backed by funding and timelines to make the N71 reliable for all who depend on it.

I put it to the Minister of State, and I say this with respect but also with resolve, that west Cork has waited long enough and the N71 has waited long enough. Our region has carried its share of national growth and deserves its share of national investment. As a proud west Cork native and a Fine Gael Senator working for west Cork, I will continue to raise this issue in the Seanad and beyond. I will work constructively with the Minister of State, his Department and colleagues across all parties but I will also hold every one of us to account, myself included, for delivery that has been missing for far too long. After 40 years of neglect, it is time to deliver. West Cork deserves a safe, modern and fair N71, one that reflects the value of the people and the region it serves.

I thank the Senator for raising the matter of the N71. The Senator is right that it is very different from when it was first originated and built. The Senator has outlined very much the key issues of safety and congestion. The traffic volume has made many of those vibrant towns very congested. I concur completely with the Senator that the N71 from the Bandon Road roundabout back to Bantry is deserving of a response from the Government and Transport Infrastructure Ireland, TII. The Senator is right that the wait has been long enough. I am taking this Commencement matter on behalf of the Minister for Transport, Deputy O'Brien, who has responsibility for the overall policy and, with the Department of Transport, for Exchequer funding in relation to our national roads programme.

As the Member will be aware, once funding arrangements are put in place with TII under the Roads Acts 1993-2015 and the national development plan, NDP, the planning, design, improvement and upgrading of individual national roads is a matter for TII conjunction with the local authority, which in this case is Cork County Council. TII ultimately delivers the national roads programme in line with Project Ireland 2040, the national planning framework and the NDP. A priority in the NDP, in line with the Department's typical investment hierarchy, is to maintain the quality and safety of the existing road network. The NDP foresees an Exchequer allocation of some €2.9 billion for the protection and renewal of existing national roads over a ten-year period, excluding those in public-private partnerships, allocated evenly across the decade. Another €5.1 billion has been earmarked for new national road projects over the lifetime of the national development plan. Approximately €502 million in Exchequer capital funds were provided for national roads through TII to local authorities this year. This is used for the construction of major new projects as well as the protection and renewal of the existing road network.

It is important to point out that a number of road projects have been delivered in the Cork area around the M28 and the N22, and also at the Dunkettle interchange. The Senator raised the N71 specifically, which is an important gateway for west Cork, as the Senator has rightly said. Funding has been given in terms of some of the improvements but again the variety of improvement schemes are not what they should be, as the Senator said. I completely concur with the Senator having used the road extensively myself and having been down there with the Senator over the summer months.

The Senator will be aware that an extension to the existing Bandon relief road is intended to address a number of issues with the current road. Currently this road ties back into the existing road network via a very steep downhill gradient. Traffic also needs to negotiate a number of roundabouts and priority junctions with the built-up area of Bandon. The proposed relief road extension will involve bridging the R603 to remove the steep gradient and the construction of approximately 2.5 km of a new single carriageway line tying back to the existing N71 just to the west of the town. Cork County Council held a competition in 2023 to appoint technical advisers to complete phase two - options selection, and phase three - design and environmental evaluation. As part of the national roads allocation for this year, €450,000 has been allocated, which will facilitate the advancement of the planning and design stage of the scheme. In relation to the proposed bypass at Bantry, I can confirm that as part of this year's national roads allocation €100,000 was allocated to progress the scheme to the initial planning phase. I understand from my discussions with TII and Cork County Council that we are not yet in a position to prioritise the proposed bypass of Innishannon and Clonakilty due to the many competing demands for these resources, which have been required to fund other schemes.

I do take the Senator's point about the co-ordinated council plan. It is one that is needed. Those of us who use the road understand the importance of what the Senator has raised. The Senator is articulating very eloquently and very passionately the views of many. I thank the Senator for his ongoing advocacy. I look forward, with the Minister, Deputy O'Brien, and the Minister of State, Deputy Canney, to ensuring that Innishannon, Bandon, Clonakilty and Bantry, and the people of west Cork, receive their share of funding. The Senator is right that it is gridlock now going through Innishannon at any hour of the day or night and it is nearly a long-term hazard. The Senator has articulated quite well that Bandon is choked too. I look forward to working with the Senator to ensure we can prioritise and progress the N71 upgrade. I look forward to hearing any further suggestions the Senator has on the matter.

I thank the Minister of State for his comments. I acknowledge the work he has committed to in engaging with me and listening to further suggestions, and the time he gave recently in west Cork looking at various stretches of road.

The majority of the response from the Department and TII refers to projects in other parts of the county. I asked clearly for a co-ordinated corridor plan for west Cork. The town of Clonakilty is not mentioned in the response and there is nothing planned for the village of Innishannon. According to the responses I have received, they are not included in the national development plan. The N71 is not included in the national development plan.

In the coming weeks and months we will go into more detail about what is included in the national development plan. I am asking the Minister of State and the Minister, Deputy O'Brien, for the inclusion of the N71 in the national development plan and that a clear co-ordinated corridor plan be put in place once and for all. Between Cork County Council, TII and the Department of Transport, the N71 is getting lost. That cannot continue to be the case. I thank the Minister of State for being here.

I accept the Senator's disappointment. The N71 is a very important gateway to west Cork. I live at the beginning of it and have travelled it. There is huge merit in what the Senator is suggesting about a co-ordinated corridor. I will not read out the rest of the response to the Senator because it will probably aggravate him further and I do not want to do that. We all share, whether it is the Minister, Deputy O'Brien, or me, the need for continued road investment and allocation of funding for projects such as the N71. I give a commitment to the Senator that I will co-ordinate a meeting between him and officials in the Department. It is something we have to look at in terms of the gateway to west Cork, which is a tourism mecca for our county and region. It is also an important one in terms of the ongoing investment in Cork. It is, as the Senator said, to eliminate that choked passageway through Innishannon, Clonakilty, Bantry and Bandon. I will work with the Senator to ensure he gets a reply back and a meeting with officials. It is an important issue. I say this as a Cork person who understands the frustration of people in west Cork. If you stand at the side of the road in Innishannon, it is nearly a procession of traffic the whole time, as the Cathaoirleach knows. I take the Senator's frustration and annoyance at the response. I will work with him to ensure we progress the plan. I thank him again for raising the matter.

I thank the Minister of State for his time.