Mr. Pat Doherty MP:

It is clear, particularly from what Mr. McLaughlin said, that all the councils and agencies in the north west are very much focused on this project and are applying themselves to it. I know from my own dialogue with the Roads Service in the North and the National Roads Authority that they meet regularly on the issue.

That brings us to the question of the finances. Regarding the timescale, as Mr. McSorley outlined, in 2016 we should be starting to make progress. When the Irish Government withdrew its funding as a result of the financial situation, it added a caveat that it was prepared to revisit this project in the capital expenditure programme for 2015. We should focus on that.

In the North, when the moneys were disbursed because they could not be spent there was also a commitment from the Executive, and I stress the Executive, that the money would be ring-fenced when the Southern money came on board again. We need to keep a focus on the North in that regard. Politicians North and South have a job to do to ensure that both the Executive and the Irish Government live up to the commitments they gave publicly. That is our focus, allied with the good work being done by all the agencies on the ground. If we can keep that combination going, we can see this through.