Frank Feighan (Sligo-Leitrim, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister of State and I also thank the Minister, Deputy Eamon Ryan, and the Green Party. They are fighting hard for climate, for community and for equality. These are the three aspects: climate, community and equality. I appreciate that this is just funding and I will talk to my leader, the Taoiseach, Deputy Varadkar, to try to get this resolved. Again there are many things which we need to work on but this is an issue that certainly needs addressing.

Again, I state that this is a national road and one which opens up the west of Ireland to the west of Ireland. It is vital for the local community.

I also wish to pay tribute to Sligo, Leitrim, Roscommon and Donegal county councils, areas which I represent. These are people who are passionate about their communities. We are fortunate to have both very good CEOs and great staff there, together with great members of the local authorities. This is an issue which bubbles along.

I do not normally bring things, as the Minister of State will be aware, to the floor of the Dáil and normally raise these matters directly with him, as I have done with both him and with the Taoiseach, Deputy Varadkar, and with the former Taoiseach, Deputy Micheál Martin. This is an issue which needs to be resolved as quickly as possible. It is a very important issue for the connectivity of the west of Ireland and for the saving of people's lives. If it is a matter of money, then we have to get money. If it is a matter of a difference of opinion, we have to work on those differences of opinion.

I say again that we need to get the funding to keep this moving along because I have never seen such anger from businesses, individuals, communities and local authorities, which feel that they have been let down. We have to work together to deliver funding for this project and I ask that the Minister of State might bring his concerns back to the senior Minister, Deputy Ryan. We greatly welcome the vast amount of funding that has been coming for the Sligo greenway and the SLNCR greenway. It is making a difference with the cycleways, greenways, walkways and so forth but we just need to get this project over the line. I will work with the Minister, Deputy Ryan, and with whoever else, to try to get this project moving. As the CEO of the local authority said, we need to keep this project bubbling along.

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