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

I thank the Minister. He is aware that the two counties I have the privilege to represent depend very much on indigenous business. Much of our employment is through small and medium-sized enterprises. Many of those enterprises are located along county and regional roads. To try to assist business in reducing costs in the very challenging time that lies ahead for enterprise in the Border region due to Brexit and other challenges, I appeal to the Minister, as I did in the past, to ensure that infrastructure is brought up to a better standard. As we know, good infrastructure helps to reduce costs for business and increase competitiveness. When deciding on the allocations for the non-national road network, I appeal to the Minister to take into account the particular needs of counties such as Cavan and Monaghan that have no rail network and are totally dependent on transferring goods and persons by road.

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