Mary White (Fianna Fail)
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I regard this issue as my priority. I thank Mr. Barry for arranging the signage indicating the ancestral home of President Obama in both directions on the road to Limerick. This means so much to the people in Moneygall and in the wider region. I applaud his decision.

I refer to the sad fate of the Dublin-Derry economic corridor. I have spoken about this issue many times at this forum. On Monday of this week a total of £115 million was reallocated which had been earmarked for the upgrading of the Dublin-Derry corridor. This project is now stationary. I believe it is probably one of the most important infrastructural developments in the country and is needed for the economic and social welfare of the people who live on the corridor between Dublin and Derry. It takes three and a half hours to get from Dublin to Derry. It is the most tiring and stressful route in the country. It is now much quicker to travel between Dublin, Limerick and Cork. It used to take nearly a day to get to Cork. Mr. Barry said the Derry to Dublin route was in limbo. The development of this route has now gone into limbo. I raised this issue at a previous meeting. I believe sincerely and passionately that Monaghan County Council should be allocated €1.5 million to prepare for the planning and there should be a definite indication of where the road will be. If the funding for the road is provided sooner rather than later, it will be necessary to go through this process. Pre-planning should be done so that when the funding becomes available to the NRA the project can go ahead. In my view it is an appalling lack of action that the Government cannot come up with €1.5 million. I do not wish this to be a criticism of my colleagues in the Government party but in my view there is a lack of commitment.

I hope the Chairman, Deputy McHugh, does not mind me saying it, but in my view the Government is not engaged adequately with what is happening in the North. High-level meetings have always been held but I do not think there is any thrusting energy going into maintaining the peace process by means of economic development. The Northern Government and its representatives on this committee have also slipped up in this regard, because it is also in their bailiwick. I have very passionate views on this issue. The Good Friday Agreement and the St. Andrews Agreement do not seem to matter a damn, and this road is just lying there. I cannot understand it because so much depends on this road. The biggest issue in the North is employment creation, and here is an opportunity to develop the road and the infrastructure.

Mr. Andy Pollak has set up a new project to develop a form of cross-Border economic development unique to the Irish Border region. Its aim is to create a Border development zone. This innovative research and conference project will explore the potential of the joint economic development approach across the whole Irish and Northern Irish cross-Border region.

I am not being too personal but my husband chairs this in a voluntary capacity. Many people are very excited about this development, and they are dedicated and sincere about the development of cross-Border regions. I spoke to Mr. Barry on the margins of the region.