Neale Richmond (Dublin Rathdown, Fine Gael)
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184. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport the engagement he has had with his Northern Irish counterpart in respect of the proposed Sligo-Enniskillen greenway in the context of the new shared island fund; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1505/21]

Eamon Ryan (Dublin Bay South, Green Party)
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I have had very positive engagement with my colleague, Minister Nichola Mallon, MLA, in relation to the proposed Sligo, Leitrim & Northern Counties Greenway, also known as the Sligo-Enniskillen Greenway.

As the Deputy is aware, the greenway is specifically referenced in the New Decade, New Approach agreement made by the Irish and UK Governments and is also, of course, referenced in the Programme for Government – Our Shared Future. Last month’s Plenary Session of the North South Ministerial Council noted progress in relation to the greenway and it has also featured at the Transport Sectoral meeting of the Council held in October, as well as in bilaterals I held with Minister Mallon in the summer.

In July 2020 I announced an allocation of €500,000 for Leitrim County Council under the Carbon Tax Fund, with discussions ongoing in relation to the funding required to bring the project to planning application stage. There is agreement that funding allocated will be used to develop the greenway as one project, North and South, and I very much welcome the agreement between Leitrim County Council and Fermanagh and Omagh District Council to appoint a joint design team.  

As the Deputy can see, funding is currently being advanced through my Department’s greenways funding programme; however, clearly there is potential for the project, as it develops further, to be considered eligible for funding under the Government’s Shared Island programme and I expect the matter will be considered further at the appropriate juncture.

Neale Richmond (Dublin Rathdown, Fine Gael)
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185. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport the engagement he has had with his Northern Irish counterpart in respect of the proposed A5 upgrade in the context of the new shared island fund; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1506/21]

Eamon Ryan (Dublin Bay South, Green Party)
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As the Deputy is aware the planning and implementation of the proposed A5 upgrade project is the responsibility of the Northern Ireland authorities. Following the quashing of the decision to proceed with the A5 Western Transport Corridor scheme in November 2018, the Department for Infrastructure has been progressing the necessary work to enable a fresh decision to be taken. A Public Inquiry

concluded on 13th March 2020 and an Interim Inspector’s Report is under consideration at present.

The status of the A5 scheme has been a regular item for discussion at both NSMC Transport Sectoral and Plenary meetings. The most recent Plenary meeting held on 18th December 2020 noted the commitment of both Administrations to the delivery of the A5 and that next steps for the project will be informed by the Interim Report from the Public Inquiry.

The funding arrangements in relation to the A5 are governed by the commitments in the Stormont House Agreement and Implementation Plan - A Fresh Start and in the New Decade, New Approach document. The Government is committed to providing funding of £75 million (sterling) towards the cost of Phase 1a of the A5 upgrade scheme once the statutory planning process in Northern Ireland is concluded.  Any future decisions would be a matter for consideration by Government taking into account the new Shared Island Fund.