Tony McLoughlin (Sligo-North Leitrim, Fine Gael)
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27. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport if he has had any recent discussion with his Northern Ireland Executive Minister counterpart regarding the national primary route N16 which forms part of the east-west corridor linking Northern Ireland with the Republic and more specifically linking Sligo and Leitrim and much of Connacht with Belfast, Larne and Dundalk on the east coast; if he acknowledges that this route was designated by the EU as one of the east-west links forming part of the transeuropean road network, recognising its strategic importance in linking the peripheral north west of Ireland with Belfast and the northern eastern ports and that it is the main access route for commercial traffic, tourists and social travel from the north-east to the west of Ireland and vice versa; if he will give assurances that some priority for funding under a cross border initiative will be forthcoming. [47063/13]

Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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My Department maintains regular contact with its counterparts in Northern Ireland and will continue to liaise with a view to assessing the scope for drawdown of funding for road projects under the TEN-T Regulation.

I would have to note, however, that any funding contribution from TEN-T would be quite limited with the bulk of the funding needing to come from the Exchequer. This does constrain the scope for considering cross border road development projects in the current financial climate.