Dáil debates

Thursday, 23 February 2017

6:05 pm

Photo of Brendan SmithBrendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

I thank the Ceann Comhairle's office for selecting this matter. I am glad the Minister is here to respond. In my observation of the proceedings of the House, he is very amenable to taking Topical Issue debates that relate to his portfolio. That is commendable, particularly as it is not a practice that is always followed.

The Minister and I discussed this subject during a previous Question Time. I commend Deputy Byrne on raising the subject of safety on the N2. A large part of my constituency is served by the N2 as well and, unfortunately, I knew some of the people who lost their lives on that road in recent times. It is most regrettable. Our colleague, Senator Robbie Gallagher, also had a Commencement Matter debate in the Seanad on the need to upgrade the road from Clontibret to the Border in the context of the A5 development, which is critical for all-island development and particularly for the Border economy. I wholeheartedly support Deputy Thomas Byrne's request regarding the N2.

In the early 2000s a strategic study was carried out on the development of an east-west route from Sligo to Dundalk. The chosen route from Sligo went through Manorhamilton, Enniskillen, Cavan town, Cootehill, Shercock and Carrickmacross to Dundalk. Thankfully, parts of that route have been upgraded with the building of the Cavan and Belturbet bypasses. Substantial funding was invested in those projects and they turned out extremely well. The road that requires particular attention at present is the one from Cootehill through Shercock and Carrickmacross to Dundalk. Fortunately, that road carries a large volume of heavy goods vehicles. We welcome the employment in that area. There are some major agrifood enterprises there, such as Lakeland Dairies in Bailieborough, Carton Brothers & Manor Farm poultry in Shercock and Abbott in Cootehill, as well as a number of engineering companies in those towns. They are exporting their products and many of them must get to Greenore, Warrenpoint, Dublin Airport or Dublin Port. If, however, one is behind a lorry when one leaves Cootehill to travel that route, one will not get past it until one is outside Dundalk, as there is a huge volume of traffic on the road.

We welcome that, but there is an additional cost on enterprises in that area because of the slow movement of goods and the delays that occur. The local chamber of commerce in Cootehill and the county councils in Cavan, Monaghan and Louth are strongly of the view that the route must be upgraded. I told the Minister previously that if enterprises in the Border region are to have any chance of remaining competitive in the context of Brexit and so forth the infrastructure must be upgraded. There is a huge concentration of agrifood industries in the Cavan-Monaghan area. Their major export market is the sterling area, so they are already hit with competitive challenges. The one way the State can support existing enterprises, and hope to be able to assist them to grow and create employment, is by ensuring it listens to them and upgrades infrastructure such as the road network. There are huge demands on the Minister's Department and TII but, in the context of what we face, we must re-prioritise capital spending for the Border regions, which are already being affected by Brexit. They do not have to wait until Britain leaves the EU. I see it and I listen to business people in my area, so I am aware of how the uncertainty that has been generated has kicked in as a negative economic ingredient.

The Acting Chairman, Deputy Durkan, and I spent most of today at meetings with members of the House of Commons committee on exiting the European Union and a delegation from the German Bundestag. We are aware of the challenges. The one thing the Oireachtas and the Government can do is deal with the areas within their own competence, such as upgrading infrastructure in those areas.

Photo of Shane RossShane Ross (Dublin Rathdown, Independent)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

I thank Deputy Brendan Smith for raising this issue. The consistency with which he has raised issues relating to the Border area indicates that whatever Members on the opposite side of House say about the Government, the Deputy is readying people for Brexit and is warning realistically about the dangers for the Border area and the need for infrastructure there. I cannot say how many times he has raised the issue. He is not only consistent in doing so, he is also right to do it in light of current circumstances. The Deputy raised the matter with me most recently on I February during the debate on the Private Members' motion on roads funding and again at Question Time on 8 February. While the position regarding the east-west route remains as I outlined in my reply to him of 8 February, I am happy to address it again today.

Proposals to deliver an upgraded route linking Dundalk to Sligo were being examined before the financial crisis. This would involve linking elements of the national road network and regional roads along as direct a route as possible. Essentially, the scheme would involve upgrade or realignment works on the regional routes from Dundalk to Cavan and on national routes from Cavan to Sligo. The latter would involve a route that passes through Northern Ireland.

With regard to the national element, as Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport, I have responsibility for overall policy and funding relating to the national roads programme. The planning, design and implementation of individual national road projects is a matter for Transport Infrastructure Ireland under the Roads Acts 1993 to 2015 in conjunction with the local authorities concerned. As regards the regional road aspect of the proposal, the improvement and maintenance of regional and local roads in its area is a statutory function of local authorities in accordance with the provisions of section 13 of the Roads Act 1993. Works on such roads are a matter for the relevant local authority to be funded from its own resources supplemented by State road grants.

While the recession resulted in major cutbacks in funding and the curtailment of road improvement projects across the country, my Department provided funding of over €2 million to Cavan County Council, acting as lead authority, in the period 2007 to 2014 to progress the regional road element of the project to preliminary design. It was not possible to take the scheme any further. The seven-year transport element of the capital plan published in September 2015 includes provision for expenditure of €6 billion on the road network. In line with the findings of my Department’s strategic framework for investment in land transport, €4.4 billion of this funding is earmarked for essential maintenance and strengthening works on the road network. A further €600 million relates to public private partnership projects and the balance is for investment in a limited number of road improvement projects. The overall funding envelope meant that it was not possible to include a range of projects in the plan.

At an estimated cost of €150 million, the East Link was one of those projects. While there is no provision in the capital plan for the east-west scheme, it is open to individual local authorities to progress the upgrade of sections of the route from their own resources.

On the capital plan review, while there is a strong case for additional funding for the transport sector, the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform has indicated that the total unallocated capital is about €2.6 billion. In contrast, in the transport sector alone, there are a multitude of possible national, regional and local projects around the country, the cost of which far exceed available funding. Unfortunately, this means that only a limited number can be put forward for consideration. I cannot therefore give any commitment at this time on projects along the route of the east-west link. By the end of the capital plan period, however, capital funding for the road network is expected to be back up to the levels needed to support maintenance and improvement works. At that stage, there may be more scope to consider projects along the route of the east-west link on a phased basis.

6:15 pm

Photo of Brendan SmithBrendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister for his reply.

In the context of the review of the capital plan, I appeal to him again to use his influence with colleagues in Government to put a Brexit focus on the re-prioritisation of capital expenditure. It is the one competence we have in addressing Brexit. We will not find it until the next capital plan post-2020 and I appeal to the Minister to try to ensure that sections of the project are included. The section that I am most concerned about at present is the Cootehill-Shercock-Carrickmacross-Dundalk element of the overall route. Other parts of it also need upgrading. Other parts are up to good standard.

The Minister might also pursue with the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform the possible availability of cohesion funding post-2020. The current round of Structural Funds, to my knowledge, ends in 2020. I understand there may be scope for us to seek cohesion funding. Back in the late 1990s or early 2000s, I remember many vexed debates in this House about Objective One status for different parts of the country and the division of the country as such. Thankfully, with economic development, we lost and were beyond the criteria to draw down cohesion funding. A case should be made post-2020, with Brexit and the unfortunate challenges and adverse impacts it will have on the Border economy in particular, that as a State we should seek access to cohesion funding again with a view to upgrading the infrastructure in the area that is and will be most adversely affected by the impact of Brexit.

I sincerely hope the Minister will try to pursue a number of aspects of advancing this project with the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform. We need to support existing enterprise in the Border region and we need to support those enterprises that will hopefully be able to expand. Currently, currency devaluation, the fluctuation of sterling and all of that poses particular difficulties for them, and again we have a huge focus on indigenous industry. Indigenous manufacturing products generally go to our nearest market. Manufacturers in the indigenous sector, such as agri-food, are very dependent, though not solely, on the sterling area for export.

Photo of Shane RossShane Ross (Dublin Rathdown, Independent)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

Deputy Smith is creative. I do not know the answer to his question about the Cohesion Funds but I will undertake to pursue it with my colleague at the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform to see if that is available. The Deputy is talking about after 2020. I see no reason why we should not look at that possibility. I do not know whether it will be so. I appreciate the case the Deputy made and that he is a strong advocate for the funding need for the Border for infrastructure and Brexit. I will bear that in mind and inform Transport Infrastructure Ireland and local authorities of the views he put before the House. I will refer back to him on the issue of the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform.