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

I reiterate our thanks to the A5 Enough is Enough campaign group formed by Tyrone GAA. It is not often a Monaghan Deputy will take to his feet to commend Tyrone GAA for much of anything but on this occasion, I will.

I am holding up a map of Ireland's rail network. It has been repeated many times that there is a huge gap in the corner. That is important to note in the context of this debate because it sets out the reality for people who live along and within the north west and Border regions, namely, that public transport, in most instances, is not an option. The improvements the Minister of State referred to, which are welcomed in the communities in question, do not even begin to address the public transport deficiencies. It is also important to note the detail of this map in the context of understanding that, without a rail network, the roads, including primary roads, in the region have a higher proportion of freight vehicles than roads in other regions which have rail transportation. This leads to an increase in the risk of travelling those roads and reinforces the need to have an upgraded and modern standard of road network.

I am now holding up a map of the motorway network across the island of Ireland. It is not a great map but it is the best I could find at short notice. Again, it is as if the Border region and north west simply do not exist. This continues to have a profound economic impact on the regions that have been deprived of this connectivity, as has been well outlined in this debate. It is important to note that, notwithstanding that, nobody in the A5 Enough is Enough campaign or on any of the local authorities along the route is looking for a motorway standard road. What we are looking for is a dual carriageway standard road, which for all the economic and social reasons outlined, is vital to ensure our young people can be assured of the employment opportunities that are available in other parts of this island. More important, it is vital to show that if they choose to do so, they can live, work and raise their families there. However, the primary reason we are looking for a dual carriageway standard road is to save lives.

In that context, the Irish Government commitment to the A5 upgrade is essential. I wish it was not. I wish we had a British Government that would live up to its responsibility. If it wants jurisdiction over part of our country, it should provide the infrastructure that is necessary. It is simply not going to do that, however. As such, the Irish Government's support and commitment are essential, not only for the people who happen to be in the Six Counties but also for the all-Ireland economy and to ensure we reach a point where we have balanced regional development. It is essential because the lives that are lost on the A5 are Irish lives, from North and South.

We know there are going to be other steps along the way and that the legal process may not have concluded yet but it is important that the Irish Government revert to the St. Andrews Agreement. I mention that agreement because in his opening statement the Minister of State, Deputy Chambers, talked about a previous Government commitment of £75 million. The St. Andrews Agreement committed the Irish Government to £400 million towards the A5 road development, which at that time represented 50% of the total cost. That commitment is the one which needs to be reaffirmed.

While I thank the Minister of State, Deputy Carroll MacNeill, for being here and the Minister of State, Deputy Chambers, for his earlier contribution, I have to ask where the Minister for Transport, Deputy Eamon Ryan, is. He may well have other important engagements tonight but the Government will be aware that there is a suggestion across many counties, my county included, that the Minister is opposed to the priorities that have been outlined in this motion. That suggestion has been denied by the Government. My answer to that is that the Government should prove it. It can be proved by ensuring the Letterkenny to Lifford section of the N2 is moved along. A business case has been presented for that project and that business case and the review of same should be give rise to action, rather than delay.

That business case, and the review of that business case, should be a process of action rather than delay. The N2 Clontibret to Border road scheme in my constituency was stalled last year. It was not stalled for legal reasons or for any bureaucratic reason. It was stalled because the Minister for Transport's Department refused to allocate the funding that was necessary. The funding for this year was contingent on EU match funding. The allocation for the Castleblayney to Ardee section of the N2 road scheme this year was €600 million. That has effectively stalled the project. Monaghan County Council is on the record as stating that it essentially cannot move to the next stage of process with the funding that has been allocated. That needs to change.

If Government is serious about supporting this motion, then it will fast-track the business case for the Letterkenny-Lifford road, it will provide funding this year for the Castleblayney-Ardee road project to proceed to the next stage, and it will ensure the Clontibret to Border road scheme is prioritised without any further undue delay. It should commit, without any equivocation, that Irish Exchequer funding will never be the cause for any further delay to the A5 project. This is about lives, the economy and the future of Ireland.

For all of those reasons, there is a valid rationale for supporting this motion and taking it to the next stage. It is also about ensuring that a region that has been considered as being at the end of something, by jurisdictions in Dublin, London and Belfast, needs to become part of the centre of decision-making. These projects are in the national development plan. Funding for the projects has been withdrawn and given to projects that are not in the national development plan. Now is the time to ensure that a whole-of-government approach is taken, with the support of the whole House, and to see action. As the campaign slogan says, enough is enough. Now is the time for delivery.

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