The Government is under mounting pressure to scrap planned roads in the National Development Plan in favour of measures to tackle climate change. The Social Democrats private members’ motion also calls on the Government to publish which projects planned under the National Development Plan will now be delayed or cancelled due to cost overruns with the National Broadband Plan and the National Children’s Hospital. It follows calls from the Green Party to divert money which had been allocated to roads in the National Development Plan to funding proper public transports. There are a number of other projects that urgently need to be prioritised, both in relation to the environment and also in relation to better value for money. Party colleague, Catherine Murphy pointed to the fact that the Dáil has declared a climate and biodiversity emergency on foot of the recent Oireachtas report on Climate Change.

Source: Irish Examiner June 11, 2019 12:11 UTC