Mr. Fred Barry:

A network of roads in Europe have been designated for decades as being of European importance. The European Commission has produced guidelines as to how they should be developed. These guidelines are very useful but guidelines are not mandatory. Earlier this year the Commission, the Council and the Parliament agreed that the TEN-T provisions would become regulations. They agreed a network of roads to be included and the N2-A5 route is included.

In reply to the Chairman's question, a subsection of the comprehensive network is the core network, which includes Belfast-Dublin-Foynes-Cork. The comprehensive network - which is the TEN-T - is inclusive of the N2-A5 route. I have no idea how this will pan out but it is the practice that EU measures come with funding support. It may well be that funding support will be provided, given the cross-Border nature of the scheme.