Mary White (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I do not care, it must be said. Our former esteemed Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine was involved in the Food Harvest 2020 negotiations and obtained a deal for Ireland in respect of fishing. The current Government is copying what went on in that regard every step of the way.

What the hell is holding back progress in respect of the matter to which I refer, particularly in the context of a timeline and the provision of €1.5 million in funding. I spoke to the county engineers in Monaghan a year and a half ago and all they want is funding in respect of the defined route in order that they can get on with the job. What is happening in this regard is very sad and it reflects badly on Ireland Inc. that more progress has not been made. I co-founded a business in Dublin in 1986 and it has become very successful. Being at the centre of the market, having access, etc., proved to be of huge benefit to us. Business people in the north west are cut off. They lack access to broadband services and have no smart phone connectivity. The relevant authorities are being completely negligent when it comes to the Border counties. Who can we get to drive progress in respect of this matter? The committee needs to act as the people's champion. We need to wake up people to what is involved here. It is a national scandal that development of the road to which I refer is not proceeding. That is my honest opinion.