Pauline Tully (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the witnesses here today. I commend the work of the shared island unit thus far. The initiatives that have been outlined are very welcome and very successful. Many projects have been funded and progressed. The research that has been carried out has proven to very informative and the inclusive dialogue that is being enabled is extremely important. The shared island initiative committed to focus on the challenges of the north west and the Border communities to achieve greater connectivity on the island and enhancing the all-island economy and all aspects of North South co-operation.

The Irish Business and Employers Confederation, IBEC, recently published a paper dealing with the development of the all-Ireland economy. This reflected the growth of the economy from the Good Friday Agreement to 2016 and Brexit and beyond. It seems clear, post Brexit, that the growth has accelerated. IBEC called for the Irish Government and the Executive in the North to move to the next stage and plan the growth of the all-Ireland economy. Thus far it seems to have spontaneously developed but planning is needed. Has Ms O'Donoghue met IBEC or will she be meeting it to discuss the report, in particular the suggestion for planning for growth? What arrangements can be put in place with IBEC and its northern counterpart to plan the growth of the economy, especially in the absence of an Executive?

Regarding North-South connectivity, Ms O'Donoghue stated her support for the long-overdue A5 corridor linking up with the N2 on the southern side. With this in mind, there is no financial commitment from the shared initiative to fund the A5 or the N2. The completion of this project would transform life for those living in the region but it is not mentioned in the 2022 report. On the southern side, I attended a meeting of Monaghan County Council recently and it is quite concerned about the project. It has two sections: Clontibret to the Border and Castleblayney to Ardee. Significant investment would have been put into the design stages of those two sections and that has been spent to date, but now there is no security of funding to move it forward. It is time sensitive because the design standards change and the surveys will date as well. Will Ms O'Donoghue comment on any support for progressing the A5-N2 project?