Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Ceann Comhairle's office for selecting this matter. I am glad the Minister is here to respond. In my observation of the proceedings of the House, he is very amenable to taking Topical Issue debates that relate to his portfolio. That is commendable, particularly as it is not a practice that is always followed.

The Minister and I discussed this subject during a previous Question Time. I commend Deputy Byrne on raising the subject of safety on the N2. A large part of my constituency is served by the N2 as well and, unfortunately, I knew some of the people who lost their lives on that road in recent times. It is most regrettable. Our colleague, Senator Robbie Gallagher, also had a Commencement Matter debate in the Seanad on the need to upgrade the road from Clontibret to the Border in the context of the A5 development, which is critical for all-island development and particularly for the Border economy. I wholeheartedly support Deputy Thomas Byrne's request regarding the N2.

In the early 2000s a strategic study was carried out on the development of an east-west route from Sligo to Dundalk. The chosen route from Sligo went through Manorhamilton, Enniskillen, Cavan town, Cootehill, Shercock and Carrickmacross to Dundalk. Thankfully, parts of that route have been upgraded with the building of the Cavan and Belturbet bypasses. Substantial funding was invested in those projects and they turned out extremely well. The road that requires particular attention at present is the one from Cootehill through Shercock and Carrickmacross to Dundalk. Fortunately, that road carries a large volume of heavy goods vehicles. We welcome the employment in that area. There are some major agrifood enterprises there, such as Lakeland Dairies in Bailieborough, Carton Brothers & Manor Farm poultry in Shercock and Abbott in Cootehill, as well as a number of engineering companies in those towns. They are exporting their products and many of them must get to Greenore, Warrenpoint, Dublin Airport or Dublin Port. If, however, one is behind a lorry when one leaves Cootehill to travel that route, one will not get past it until one is outside Dundalk, as there is a huge volume of traffic on the road.

We welcome that, but there is an additional cost on enterprises in that area because of the slow movement of goods and the delays that occur. The local chamber of commerce in Cootehill and the county councils in Cavan, Monaghan and Louth are strongly of the view that the route must be upgraded. I told the Minister previously that if enterprises in the Border region are to have any chance of remaining competitive in the context of Brexit and so forth the infrastructure must be upgraded. There is a huge concentration of agrifood industries in the Cavan-Monaghan area. Their major export market is the sterling area, so they are already hit with competitive challenges. The one way the State can support existing enterprises, and hope to be able to assist them to grow and create employment, is by ensuring it listens to them and upgrades infrastructure such as the road network. There are huge demands on the Minister's Department and TII but, in the context of what we face, we must re-prioritise capital spending for the Border regions, which are already being affected by Brexit. They do not have to wait until Britain leaves the EU. I see it and I listen to business people in my area, so I am aware of how the uncertainty that has been generated has kicked in as a negative economic ingredient.

The Acting Chairman, Deputy Durkan, and I spent most of today at meetings with members of the House of Commons committee on exiting the European Union and a delegation from the German Bundestag. We are aware of the challenges. The one thing the Oireachtas and the Government can do is deal with the areas within their own competence, such as upgrading infrastructure in those areas.

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