Matt Carthy (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister of State, Deputy Chambers, for his attendance and the Leas-Cheann Comhairle for her indulgence. I thank also the staff of the Houses for working so late and facilitating the debate. I hope the Minister of State will be able to allay the conclusion many have come to, namely, that the Government has a disgraceful attitude to regional transport links, not least as they pertain to the Border region.

County Monaghan has incredibly limited public transport availability. There is no rail network in the region and bus services are extremely restricted. As such, our local economy requires a fit-for-purpose road network. The N2, alongside the A5, has been considered in several Government documents and plans to be a crucial artery and economic driver for both the central-Border and north-western regions. The road has been part of several peace process negotiations. The Irish and British Governments and political parties have all agreed on the principle this road network is essential for the delivery of a peace dividend to regions and communities that were significantly impacted by partition and conflict over the course of the past century. To much fanfare from Government party representatives, the project was highlighted as priority infrastructure in the so-called national development plan.

Unilaterally, however, the funding for the next phase of the section from Clontibret to the Border was withdrawn in 2022. Representatives of Transport Infrastructure Ireland confirmed to me at a meeting of the Committee of Public Accounts that that withdrawal would have to be revisited if there were a direction from the Government. Indeed, other road projects farther south that were also initially excluded in the 2022 programme were subsequently allocated the necessary funding to proceed to the next stage. It seems, however, that nobody in the Government was willing to make a similar case for the N2. This year again, fanfare from Government representatives told us the scheme from Clontibret to the Border had been allocated funding, but we soon learned the allocation towards this section is dependent on EU matched funding.

I am unaware of any other national road funding being so dependent on outside aid. It appears the Government representatives from our region have been found wanting again as the Department of Transport plays political games with our region. The Ardee to Castleblaney section of the road has now also been effectively stalled. The €600 million allocation for this year will only cover previous costs and will not allow the project to proceed to the next stage. The development of the N2 and of the A5 in the North needs to proceed as a matter of urgency. Without it, County Monaghan and the wider region will not be able to reach its economic potential. It is entirely unfair that landowners' land is effectively frozen in perpetuity while progress on the road is painstakingly slow due to Government decisions. There are serious traffic concerns arising from the ongoing foot-dragging and stalling. I put on the record, my strong commendation of the members of Monaghan County Council, who are united in calling for the funding allocation for the N2 to be revisited. We also need political unity from local and Oireachtas representatives in this region. Primarily, we need Government to change the disgraceful attitude that has been displayed towards this region and to deliver the necessary funding to allow these two schemes on this critical piece of infrastructure for the region to proceed to the next stages.

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