Mr. Brendan Hegarty:

I speak on behalf of our chairperson here who is unfortunately not able to speak due to a sore throat. On the connectivity from Clontibret to Aughnacloy, it is probably the weakest part of the project at this point in time. We met recently on a cross-council basis with the Minister, Chris Hazzard, on this project. This touches on the point that was made earlier. We see an opportunity now with the review that is due in 2018 to secure additional funding to deliver more phases if not all phases to strengthen that link and address the issue from Clontibret through to Aughnacloy. We see that as vital.

I want to refer to an area that has not been touched on today as we have been very focused on the economic aspects of the project. It is well recognised that the A5 is operating well beyond its capacity and, as a result, we have a high number of fatalities on the route. It is another aspect of the matter that we need to consider. Certainly, dualling would go a long way to address it. If we look at the recent investment in the dual-carriageway from Dungannon to Ballygawly, it has made a huge difference. It is an example of a short route which demonstrates the benefits that can be achieved. I wanted to reintroduce that aspect of the project. Unfortunately, there are several stretches of the route that are well known for all of the wrong reasons in terms of the number of fatalities that have occurred. I thank all the members.