Ruairi Ó Murchú (Louth, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

The A5 - enough is enough. That is the message that must be agreed across this House. We can talk about the fact that planning in the North has been disastrous. A small number of objectors have been able to hold up this project. We know the issues in relation to partition and underinvestment in the Border areas, particularly in the north west. We could talk about regional imbalance until tomorrow morning and probably longer. We know it is an absolute necessity from a financial point of view to open this part of Ireland. That goes without saying. However, the fact is that since 2006, over 50 people have died on this stretch of road. Ten died between October 2021 and October 2022. Kate Corrigan has put it absolutely straightforwardly. It would be better if she were here, as Deputy Carthy and others have said, to speak to us about the devastation of losing Nathan and to speak for all those other people who have lost family members. That is the reality. Our failure to deliver this project has led to that particular set of circumstances.

We have control over where we are now. I appreciate what the Minister of State has said. It sounds hopeful in respect of Government commitments. The Government is obviously not opposing the motion. What the Minister of State has said makes it sound as if we are going to have a shared island-type commitment. I urge the Government to put its money where its mouth is, as it has in respect of some other projects. I am thinking in particular of my own constituency. We need to see this as soon as possible.

There is something that frightens me. The Narrow Water Bridge seems to be in a better place. The Minister of State spoke eloquently and positively about the planning conditions in Donegal. He said projects that are absolutely necessary to link in other roads with the A5 are moving on. He spoke of Clontibret to the Border. He also spoke about the N2 from Castleblayney to Ardee. The problem is that Deputies Carthy, Tully and I, as well as others with an interest in that particular part of the world, have had talks, negotiations and an enormous amount of correspondence with the Minister and Transport Infrastructure Ireland, TII. We have all received an answer to the effect that an allocation of €600,000 was made to Monaghan County Council, the lead local authority, for the N2 Ardee to south of Castleblayney bypass scheme in 2023 to meet project commitments up to March 2023. The scheme is currently suspended in phase 3, the design and environmental evaluation phase of TII's project management guidelines.

We know we have an issue with regard to our planning process and how projects are delivered. We need to see action on the commitment the Minister of State has given in respect of the A5. We do not only need positive words.

We need to see delivery in relation to these particular parts of the project so that we can deliver something that is absolutely safe. That is what the people of that part of the world and the people who are here from the campaign group in the Gallery deserve. I would like to think that whoever is to respond here will come through with a solemn promise that there will be delivery across the board for this entire project.

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