Eamon Gilmore (Dún Laoghaire, Labour)

Later this morning the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform, Deputy Brendan Howlin, will publish the capital programme. It will be a significant programme, notwithstanding our financial difficulties, amounting to over €16 billion in the next four or five years. Owing to the country's financial circumstances, as the Minister will explain later, it will be necessary to put back some capital projects, particularly in the roads and transport programme, because the money simply is not available to proceed with them. I regret that the A5 is one of the projects that cannot proceed at this time. However, there is, as the Deputy said, a political commitment in the St. Andrews Agreement to allow it to go ahead and our commitment to it remains solid, but we cannot do what we do not have the money to do at this time.

I am agreeable to having a debate in the House on the capital programme. Perhaps the Whips might arrange to have that debate next week. Undoubtedly, Members will wish to discuss the projects that are and are not going ahead and to put their case to the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform. Some arrangement can be made to schedule that debate to take place next week.

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