Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

On behalf of the Government I thank the Deputies for their contributions on Ireland's transport network and the importance of maintaining and enhancing our connectivity with the rest of Europe, especially in the context of the UK departure from the European Union and Brexit.

While I share the Sinn Féin concern about Brexit implicit in its countermotion, the Government will not on this occasion be supporting that motion.

As mentioned by the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport, Deputy Ross, in his opening statement, the Government is addressing the challenges posed by Brexit and will continue to do so. This includes addressing the implications on the connectivity of our ports and airports and access to them. This approach and the mitigating actions required will obviously evolve as the negotiations between the EU and UK progress.

In the meantime, the Government has laid out an ambitious infrastructure investment programme in Project Ireland 2040, spending billions to tackle the infrastructure deficits throughout the regions and mitigate the potential challenges posed by Brexit. This includes the commitment to the A5 and other aspects mentioned in the Sinn Féin countermotion.

The Government has tabled a countermotion. I wish to reiterate that the EU trans-European transport network is a Europe-wide network of roads, railway lines, inland waterways, inland and maritime ports, airports and railroad terminals. The network is made up of the comprehensive network and a subset, which is referred to as the core network. The core network is the most strategic part of the transport network. In Ireland's case, it runs from Belfast to Dublin to Cork and includes the core ports of Dublin, Cork and Shannon Foynes.

The inclusion of an element or section of a country's transport network or county transport network on the TEN-T core network does not result in automatic qualification for EU funding for transport infrastructure projects located on this network. It means that such projects may apply for funding under competitive EU-wide calls. These calls remain considerably over-subscribed. Where such projects are successful they may obtain 20% or perhaps 30% of EU co-funding with the remainder of the required funding coming from either the Exchequer or private sources, depending on the nature of the project in question.

As the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport, Deputy Ross, pointed out in his opening statement, there is an obligation on EU member states to complete their respective elements of the pre-defined TEN-T core network by 2030. When the TEN-T regulations were being negotiated in 2011 it was not possible to include all elements of our island's transport network on the TEN-T core network. This was because of our financial and economic circumstances and taking into account the EU planning methodology, which specifies the requirements and thresholds that must be met for areas to qualify for core network status.

That is not to say that many of our transport projects have not benefitted from this source of funding and there are a number of excellent examples where this has been and continues to be of crucial importance in the successful delivery of our transport infrastructure.

Thus far, 19 successful Irish projects have obtained co-funding of a total of €58 million for projects located on the core TEN-T network that either have or will improve our connectivity with the rest of Europe. This includes funding for our core ports.

Most recently, the port of Shannon Foynes was successful in obtaining funding of 20% of projects costs, or €4.4 million, from the EU, which will assist the port in further improving its capacity, thereby removing a bottleneck of shipping and goods in transit at the port.

This Government has committed to further developing our regional transport infrastructure and Project Ireland 2040 will enhance regional connectivity and accessibility. The national planning framework and the national development plan both recognise the importance of the Atlantic economic corridor. The Government is working to ensure that Ireland is not negatively affected by the UK’s decision to leave the EU, including our continued use of the UK landbridge. New shipping routes connecting Ireland to continental Europe may also emerge as markets respond to Brexit. We are already starting to see that happen in my own county where businesses, including agrifood, are looking to explore new markets. Only this morning, Enterprise Ireland and An Bord Bia informed us that many businesses with which they engage are starting to explore new markets. We expect that new shipping routes would open up in response to this.

As set out in the EU’s TEN-T regulation, the core TEN-T network shall reflect evolving traffic demand and the need for multimodal transport. The implementation of the core network is to be evaluated by the European Commission by the end of 2023 and the Commission will then evaluate whether the core network should be modified to take into account developments in transport flows, as well as national investment planning.

The Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport will, in line with the commitment contained in the programme for partnership Government, coupled with the UK’s decision to leave the EU and as a consequence the EU’s TEN-T network, make a submission to the European Commissioner for Mobility and Transport seeking an early review of the TEN-T network. This submission will take into account the impact of Brexit and the investments that will be made under Project Ireland 2040, particularly those located in the north west of Ireland.

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