Charlie McConalogue (Donegal North East, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I am not a member of this committee. I endorse Deputy Smith's suggestion on having a session to follow on from a meeting dealing with the progress of the North West Gateway Initiate with officials from the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, who are responsible for driving the project from the Republic.

I also support the suggestion an invitation would issue to representatives from the Office of the First Minister and Deputy First Minister to see whether they would be interested in presenting to us because it needs both governments to do it and flows on from the Good Friday Agreement, which this committee in this Parliament is responsible for overseeing. In light of that, I do not think it would be inappropriate to invite them to come down to give either their views separately or with their departmental officials. If it is to work, it requires the co-operation, goodwill and faith of both governments to drive it. It behoves this committee to assess whether this is working and to dig into that to see whether we can drive it and assist the work the North West Region Cross Border Group can do in respect of that. As I am not a member of the committee, I know it is a matter for committee members to decide. I endorse Deputy Smith's proposal.

We were discussing the A5. The Irish Government's commitment will be important and the financial commitment post-2015 is important. Any more clarity we can get on that would be very useful. The Northern Ireland Executive has a remit in terms of the funding from Westminster but it goes back as far as the St. Andrews Agreement where it was ring-fenced from that point in time. It was agreed that it would be allocated specifically towards that road. I know the unfortunate planning situation has delayed it. After the previous planning permission was granted and before it was knocked down in court, a decision was made to go ahead with the ring-fenced money from Westminster to do two sections of the road. A timeline was put on that money, which was being drawn down last year and this year. My understanding is that this money is now being drawn down for the other projects even though it was ring fenced for the road. It is a Northern Ireland Executive set-up but a crucial factor in respect of beginning the construction of this road is what the arrangements are regarding how the money which was meant for the road and was spent last year and on other projects this year will be put back to commence construction of the road. I am not sure whether Mr. Doherty would have an update on that but I see that as being particularly crucial in terms of the road actually getting underway.