Transport Minister Eamon Ryan is being sidestepped and around €6m in funding for roads is being found – funds the Green Minister had refused to sanction, writes Craig Hughes.
Ten major road projects that had been through the tendering process had been paused as they were not being adequately funded to proceed.
Speaking in New York this week, Mr Ryan was adamant that no new funding would be allocated until January next year.
However, in a dramatic turnaround, the Irish Daily Mail has revealed that within 24 hours of the minister’s remarks, Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII) has now found the funding to finance four of the ten roads in the pipeline.
The decision to sidestep Mr Ryan will be viewed as politically embarrassing after he definitively ruled out roads funding just one day previously.
It also comes as rows intensify over the Government again breaching its own spending rule in the Budget.
One Cabinet …