Dr. Brian McCann:

Members asked about the positives if the infrastructure is provided. I believe it is not only towards business and industry, as Mr. Carty and Mr. Corcoran have mentioned. If we cannot transport our goods and people to and from industry quickly, efficiently and safely, it has a major inhibiting effect on both investors and in expansion and in trying to hire people who can do jobs for the various industries that are set up. There is also an issue around public services. It affects everybody. If we do not have proper infrastructure then we do not get good access to public services within the area, which can present a safety issue. This access issue especially affects access to education. There is public transport but it is very limited. Access for tourists to the Wild Atlantic Way, which is a very strong brand, is also an issue. We want to increase the potential of the region for industry, tourism, agriculture and community generally. We need to have good infrastructure for good living standards for the community; it goes hand in hand.

I have been living in Sligo for 20 years and it was mentioned to me once that the north west is isolated. It is where it is and we cannot do anything about that. It is isolated but isolation is only about the length of time it takes to get there. We no longer look at the distances, we look at the time it takes. People look at Google Maps to see how long it would take to get to Sligo, for example, using a particular route. It is very important that we make the journeys efficient and more consistent.

We must also remember that these roads are part of the strategic road network in Ireland. The strategic road network for the country has been identified not only by the Trans-European Transport Network of the European Union, but also by the Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport. It is part of the national primary roads network and it must have those consistencies. Obviously a lot of that national network is motorway, which provides very little hindrance to travel and where there are no added junctions or intersections and no access roads. Not only do we not have a motorway, but we are two or three steps below that level with most of the N4 and N5, where there is direct access onto the roads, there are no hard shoulders and there is poor alignment and visibility. We really need to bring our infrastructure up to date and up to a consistent level right across the country. It is imperative. It will have a knock-on effect for everybody and it would mean that the region would not be as isolated. It would also, hopefully, reduce the congestion and pollution that is occurring in the Dublin region.