Niall Blaney (Fianna Fail)

I rise today to raise the decision in recent days on the A5. For us in the north west, it is not just the A5 but is also the N2. The decision by a judge in the Belfast courts has hit the headlines in recent days. It is shocking news for many of us. The first time we had a shock in relation to this was when funding was first put in place for it. The Executive was pulled down in 2016 over an Irish Bill that still has not been passed. There was no beef on the bone. We now have an incompetent Minister who could not take into cognisance a report passed in recent weeks relating to the A5. It is incompetence of the highest order.

The decision has serious consequences not just for the A5 but for any future infrastructural projects. If someone wants to develop or extend a factory and create more jobs, this result has consequences for a planning application. With the consequences of the decision in mind, I ask the Leader to discuss the issue with the Taoiseach, the Tánaiste and the Minister for Transport. I ask that one of them comes to the House as soon as possible. There needs to be an intervention at an Irish Government and UK Government level to try to rescue the situation. I believe that emergency legislation is required in Northern Ireland to rescue the situation. Input is necessary at that level. I ask the Leader to do what he can to move the wheels.