Shane Ross (Dublin Rathdown, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I acknowledge the fact that the Senator has been an advocate for this project for a long time. His voice is welcome and keeps us to our commitment to the A5, which remains steadfast. It is even more important in light of the implications of Brexit. We are not yet fully familiar with them but any uncertainty will cause unease in the Senator's native Donegal and in the north west. We hope to alleviate that.

The commitment of the Government to this project has not been reduced in any way. A Fresh Start, the Stormont agreement and implementation plan which was concluded in November 2015, committed the Government to providing funding of £75 million for the A5 road upgrade to ensure the first phase of the project, from Newbuildings to north of Strabane, could commence as soon as the necessary planning issues were resolved by the Northern Ireland authorities. Under the agreement it was envisaged that construction of phase 1 of the A5 would start in 2017, with a view to completion in 2019.In keeping with this timeline, Government funding was to be provided in three tranches of £25 million in 2017, 2018 and 2019, respectively. However, the planning process in the North relating to the revised A5 scheme took longer than anticipated. The Northern Department for Infrastructure only announced the decision to proceed with the scheme in late November. It also indicated that the project would be ready to start in 2018.

Financial provision for meeting the Government's commitment to the A5 project was made in the extra capital plan review funding and will be included in my Department's budget from 2019 to 2021, inclusive. Any commitment on funding for further phases of the A5 improvement scheme will be a matter for consideration at Government level. My Department's role at this point is to liaise with Northern Ireland officials regarding the implementation of the existing Government commitment as set out in A Fresh Start.

I hope that this answers the question about our commitment. The planning and implementation of the upgrade project is the responsibility of the Northern Ireland authorities. The current funding arrangements for the A5 are governed by the Stormont House Agreement, which reaffirmed the Government's commitment to provide funding of £50 million for the A5 project and committed an additional £25 million to ensure that the first phase of the project from Newbuildings to north of Strabane could commence.

As part of the capital plan review process, funding is now being provided in my Department's budget to meet the Government's commitment under A Fresh Start and my officials will be liaising with their Northern Ireland counterparts on project implementation arrangements.