Imelda Munster (Louth, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I apologise for arriving late. I missed Mr. O'Leary's statement but heard Mr. Nolan's statement, which makes for a depressing read. I made a few notes about the TII's statement.

My first concern is about where the A5 meets the N2. Mr. Nolan has said that the TII is not actively engaged with Transport Northern Ireland. Why? Mr. Chris Hazzard is the Minister for Infrastructure in Northern Ireland. He has given a commitment that the A5 project will proceed. In the original St. Andrews Agreement a sum of £400 million was committed to the project by the Northern Ireland Government and Department at the time. I do not know whether the TII has requested a meeting with the Minister for Infrastructure in Northern Ireland. If not, why not? He has actively sought a meeting with his counterpart in the Republic but to no avail. I seek an update on the A5 project. Can a commitment be given that the project will be included in the mid-term review?

Like Deputy Fitzpatrick, I wish to refer to the land purchased for the Ardee bypass. Why has the project been delayed? A delay makes no sense. Can the project be included in the mid-term review? Can it be progressed to the next stage? One often hears that a project has been delayed because the land has yet to be purchased or the project is only at the planning stage. It makes no sense to have the land sitting idle and waiting for the project to proceed.

I wish to highlight the minuscule additional funding provided for the regional and local roads issue. Such minuscule funding will ensure the continued deterioration of our roads. An additional €25 million is less then €1 million per local authority. I remember the Chief Executive of Louth County Council said two years ago that funding was so dire that the local authority had to prioritise which potholes to fill. The amount of additional funding does not give us hope. If one does not maintain roads it costs more in the long term. Inadequate funding has a knock-on effect on everything else, not just the upkeep and maintenance of roads but safety measures and realignment projects, etc. fall by the wayside.

Mr. Nolan said that 90% of capital funding would arrive in the latter years. There is nothing new in his statement but I do not blame him personally. Its a complete and utter farce that we must accept a lack of funding and the dire state of national, regional and local roads. Unfortunately, the status quowill remain for the foreseeable future. Can the witnesses guarantee there will be increased funding for all of these projects in the mid-term review?