Joe McHugh (Donegal North East, Fine Gael)

As this is my first time to speak in the House I wish to thank the people of Donegal North-East for putting their confidence in me and giving me this opportunity to represent them.

I agree with Deputy Shortall's amendment. There are many grey areas around this issue. One example is where patients travelling from Letterkenny General Hospital to Dublin have to stop at a service area. What type of service area will this be? Will it be the responsibility of the Government or of the private operator to maintain it and ensure it is accessible on a 24-7 basis?

The only service area on that road which is in proximity to Letterkenny is at Ardee. To follow up on Deputy Shortall's points, what plans does the Minister have to ensure communication with the Northern Ireland authorities? Taking into consideration the fact that this road is neither a road nor a dual-carriageway, a fact of which all of us in the north west are well aware, what plans have been made for a public private partnership around, for example, Monaghan and Carrickmacross? Ardee is certainly not equidistant from Malin Head and Dublin so, for a person driving a lorry from Malin Head, it is not the right location for the only service area en route. Has the Minister held negotiations with the Northern Ireland authorities? I belatedly congratulate the Minister on his new position but what plans does he have for ongoing negotiation and co-operation with the Northern Ireland authorities to ensure there is joined-up thinking on the road infrastructure between the north west and the capital?

What guarantees can the Minister give the House regarding the commitments made by the then Minister for Agriculture and Food, Deputy Coughlan, and the Taoiseach a few weeks prior to the general election that there would be a high standard dual-carriageway or motorway infrastructure linking Letterkenny and Dublin? What timeframe will there be for that project? What negotiations have taken place among the local authorities in Tyrone, Fermanagh and Derry and between his Department and Stormont?

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