Jerry Buttimer (Cork South-Central, Fine Gael)

Ar an gcéad dul síos, déanaim comhghairdeas leis an Teachta as ucht an rúin seo a chur os ár gcomhair. Tuigim an díomá atá air agus ar a lán daoine de bharr an chinnidh a rinneadh san Ardchúirt i mBéal Feirste. Tá an ceart ag an Teachta. Is bóthar tábhachtach agus an-chontúirteach an A5. Thug an Rialtas tacaíocht don bhóthar agus táimid ag leanúint leis an tacaíocht sin. Beimid ag obair leis an gCéad-Aire i mBéal Feirste.

I thank the Deputy for raising the matter. He is right, in that it is a very important road. I am not going to read the full script setting out the history of the project because it is well known to all of us in the House. We recognise the importance of the A5. Suffice it to say, the public inquiry into the scheme by the Planning Appeals Commission concluded in 2023. In October 2024, the Northern Ireland Executive gave approval for the first phase of the project to proceed. In preparation for the main construction contracts, advance works over its 55 km length in the form of site clearance, fencing and the setting up of compounds commenced in January. This work is now well advanced. However, contracts for the main construction works were not entered into, pending the outcome of the court hearing. The Department for Infrastructure received a formal legal challenge to the project, with a date fixed for a court hearing on 18 March 2025. On 23 June 2025, the High Court in Belfast ruled in favour of the legal challenge.

The Minister for Infrastructure will now consider this judgment. While this further delay is clearly not desirable, it is hoped that the issues raised by the judgment will be addressed by the relevant Northern Ireland authorities in a timely fashion. While the timeline for delivery of the A5 project is still uncertain, particularly after this judgment, the provision of £25 million made by the Department of Transport in 2025 for funding the scheme remains, should it be required. Furthermore, as part of Government funding commitments for shared island projects, €600 million was committed to the progression of the A5 project in February 2024. The Government is still committed to that.

Transport Infrastructure Ireland continues to progress related schemes, such as the N2 Clontibret road to the Border and the Donegal TEN-T projects. The N2 project secured connecting Europe facility funding in 2023, allowing the design and environmental phase to recommence. This is expected to be completed later this year. The project was allocated €3 million in 2025. The TEN-T project was allocated just over €2 million, and the finalising of the design and evaluation phase deliverables is ongoing.

I reiterate our disappointment with the outcome. As the Deputy rightly said, the aim of the A5 western transport corridor, with the Northern Ireland Executive, is about improving the dual carriageway and links between the urban centres in Tyrone and Derry. It is a transport link for private and public transport between Dublin and the north west. The Deputy has used it at many key times.

The Department for Infrastructure in the North estimates the total scheme will cost €1.6 billion and in this capital project, the A5 upgrade scheme is subject to planning, assessment and approval processes in the North. There have been ongoing legal challenges during the period from 2012 until now, which have led to unavoidable and disappointing delays in the project.

It is important to reaffirm to Deputy Gallagher that the Government is committed to the project. In the coming days, I assume we will sit down and discuss the matter with our counterparts in the North and I hope to see the project recommence. I take the Deputy's points and will bring back his comments about the need for the meetings between the relevant Departments here and in Stormont. I concur with the Deputy that the disappointment is felt on both sides of the Border because this is a project the Government is committed to. We want to see it advanced and that is ongoing.

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