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

It would be absolutely ludicrous for the Government to suggest it will invest in the A5 – I believe it should – if it does not also invest in the stretches of the N2 south of the Border that allow adequate connectivity from north to south. For far too long the Border regions, both North and South, have both been seen as the end of something as opposed to gateways to an all-Ireland market that benefits everybody across this island. The same is true of the Ulster Canal. I welcome the development that we have seen but I ask for both the Oireachtas and the Assembly to work together to bring about what could be a fantastic economic driver for the entire region and the entire country.

I ask for imagination when it comes to rail transport. There needs to be a rail network advanced from this city to the north west. I would advocate that at every level.

There is also a broader role for the Irish Government to fulfil that is enshrined within the Good Friday Agreement and subsequent agreements. I do not think it is acceptable that it was sidelined at times in previous months by its British counterpart. That must end.

Sinn Féin welcomes that the Irish Government is taking an interstate case against the British Government in response to its callous, so-called legacy Bill. The Irish Government is co-guarantor to agreements that contain commitments to taking a victim-centred approach to legacy issues. Therefore, it is absolutely right that the Irish Government has shown leadership in this regard.

In a couple of months' time we are going to mark the 50th anniversary of the Dublin and Monaghan bombings. We will gather again at the memorial in Talbot Street in Dublin and in The Square in Monaghan to remember the families of the 33 civilians and an unborn child who died in bombings in May 1974. We will pay tribute again to all of those who have campaigned for truth and justice over five decades since then. They should not have had to wait for that length of time to get to the truth. The Irish Government and all of us in this House must remain committed to ensuring that the British Government releases its files in respect of that case.

With your indulgence, a Cheann Comhairle, could I pay tribute to my party colleague and long-time republican activist, Francie Molloy, who announced this week that he will not be contesting the next election? Like many republican activists, Francie got involved in politics at a time of great turmoil. I guess he could never have imagined that somebody from his community is in the position of First Minister of the state in which he was born. To my mind, it speaks of the change that this country has seen, that so many people have given so much for. We must all embrace that change and take the next steps forward.

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