Mary White (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I raise the very sad fate of the Dublin-Derry economic road corridor, speaking as a member of the committee on the implementation of the Good Friday Agreement, and as a passionate supporter of economic development North and South for the peace of the country. The reallocation of £115 million that was due to be spent on upgrading the Northern Ireland section of the Dublin to Derry economic corridor is another blow to the economic prospects of the north west and the Border counties along the route. The reallocation of £115 million, announced on Monday by the North's Minister for Finance, Simon Hamilton, MLA, was made without any reference to a target date, or date of expectation as to when the long-awaited upgrade of that strategic road corridor will commence.

It is a far cry from the commitment given in the 2006 St. Andrews Agreement when the Northern Ireland Executive and the Irish Government committed to jointly funding the upgrade of the road from the Border at Aughnacloy to Derry. The Irish Government's lack of commitment to upgrading the N2 road section between Aughnacloy and Clontibret on the southern side is appalling and reflects in turn a lack of commitment to the all-Ireland economy and the economic plight of the Border counties and the north-west region of Donegal and Derry. Monaghan County Council is seeking €1.5 million for pre-planning applications for the road but neither the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport, Deputy Varadkar, nor the National Roads Authority will authorise this funding or the necessary preparatory work. In consequence, the road journey from Dublin to Derry takes three and a half hours, more time than it takes to travel from Dublin to any other city on the island, including Belfast, Sligo, Galway, Limerick, Cork or Waterford.