Rose Conway-Walsh (Mayo, Sinn Fein)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

240.To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport to confirm that the €600 million allocated to the A5 North-West transport corridor is contained within existing NDP ceilings out to 2030; if this is sufficient funding to deliver the project; and if he will make a statement on the matter.[34835/24]

Eamon Ryan (Dublin Bay South, Green Party)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

As Minister for Transport, I have responsibility for overall policy and exchequer funding in relation to the National Roads Programme. Under the Roads Acts 1993-2015 and in line with the National Development Plan (NDP), the planning and construction of individual national roads is a matter for Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII), in conjunction with the local authorities concerned. This is also subject to the Infrastructure Guidelines and the necessary statutory approvals.

The funding arrangements in relation to the A5 were governed by the 2014 Stormont House Agreement and Implementation Plan - A Fresh Start, and under this Agreement the Government had committed to provide funding of £75 million towards the cost of the A5 upgrade scheme once the statutory planning process in Northern Ireland was concluded. Provision of £25 million sterling was made by my Department in 2024 for funding the scheme should it be required. It was announced on February 20th that as part of Government funding commitments for Shared Island projects, €600 million was being committed for the progression of the A5 project.

The planning and implementation of the A5 upgrade project is the responsibility of the authorities in Northern Ireland. As such, the matter of the overall cost of the project is for the Department for Infrastructure in Northern Ireland. It estimates the total scheme cost for the A5 project is £1.6 billion, with completion expected by 2032/2033 and the largest funding demands over the 2025 to 2028 period. I can confirm that my Department regularly engages with colleagues in the Department for Infrastructure in Northern Ireland. These engagements consider a range of North/South transport proposals, including the A5.