Brendan Smith Urges Rapid Progress on A5 and N2 Border Upgrades

Thank you. I'm going to thank my colleague Deputy Brannock for outlining the merits of advancing cross-border infrastructure. Minister, you would have heard me many times in this chamber and indeed in meetings that I had with you myself, my concerns about the inadequate infrastructure in the border region and that inadequacy will exacerbate problems that we will have in economic challenges that will arise from Brexit. Minister, there was a decision made by the then Fianna Fáil government in the aftermath of the signing of the Good Friday Agreement, the St Andrews Agreement, that our state would provide substantial funding towards the upgrade of the A5 in Northern Ireland. That's a project of particular importance to the northwest of the country and Donegal. Indeed, you would have heard our colleagues, deputies, Pathakopial and Charlie McConneloog speak eloquently about the need to advance that project. What I'm also concerned about is the N2 part of that route. As you know, there's a public consultation process ongoing at the minute in regard to the upgrading of the route from Contribor to the border and also over from Ardee to Casablanay. It's very important that the views of the local communities are fully taken into account in deciding on the preferred route. And what I am very anxious is that a commitment be given to ensure that both the N2 and the A5 projects will be progressed as quickly as possible. The delay in the A5 has not been on our side of the border. It has been due to political difficulties in Northern Ireland and some planning issues as well. But we have to look at our economy now as an all-Ireland economy. The infrastructure in Northern Ireland is deficient. It's a deficit for our economy in the south. Similarly, if our infrastructure is deficient on the southern side of the border, that's a negative for the economy north of the border as well. So we have to look at our economy now in the all-Ireland context. And we also have to look at the provision and the upgrading of infrastructure also in the context of an all-Ireland basis. So, Minister, I would appeal to you to give out a message that the funding will be provided to ensure that there will be no undue delays in progressing the upgrade of the N2, which is critical for County Manon, and the A5, which is so important for Tyrone, Derry and Donegal. Thank you. Thank you very much indeed. And I'd like to thank both deputies for raising these two very important subjects, which are absolutely related to each other. The current funding arrangements in relation to the A5 are, as the deputies will know, governed by the Fresh Start Agreement. Under this agreement, the government is committed to provide 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. The implementation of the A5 upgrade project is the responsibility of the Northern Ireland authorities. As is the case for all such capital projects, the A5 upgrade scheme is subject to the planning assessment and approval process in Northern Ireland. Since 2012, there have been a number of legal challenges to approvals related to the scheme, leading to unavoidable delays to implementing the proposed scheme. Following the conclusion of legal action in 2018, the Department for Infrastructure updated project environmental assessments and undertook a public consultation on a number of environmental reports, including the Environmental Statement Addendum 2019. Following a review of responses, the Department concluded that a further public inquiry is required. It is understood that the inquiry will be held in February 2020, allowing for the time required for the conclusion of the public inquiry and for a new decision to be taken on whether to proceed with the scheme together with the possibility of a further legal challenge. The timeframe for the start of construction of Phase 1A of the A5 project is uncertain. In view of the current stated play in relation to the A5 scheme and the timeframes involved, provision is not being made in the calendar year 2020 for funding for the scheme. The government remains committed to the £75 million sterling contribution and the senior officials group established on foot of the Fresh Start Agreement will continue to liaise regarding the project with a view to delivering on that commitment. A progress report regarding – I should first of all say that the Fresh Start Agreement, the Storms Agreement, included a commitment that the Northern Ireland Executive and Irish Government would undertake a review of the Narrow Water Bridge project with a view to identifying options for future development for consideration by the North-South Ministerial Council. A progress report regarding consideration of options for a Narrow Water Bridge was considered by the NSMC in July 2016, and the Council decided that work should continue on the development of options. While the NSMC has not been sitting for a number of years, the senior officials group comprising officials from Northern Ireland and the South, which is responsible for liaise regarding the Fresh Start Agreement, has been meeting. As regards the Narrow Water Bridge proposal, senior officials have been continuing the review of options, which is including meetings with relevant stakeholders. In engaging with stakeholders, officials have highlighted the need to assess all potential options objectively to ensure the best outcome for the area and best use of public funds. In this context, the criteria identified for assessing options were linking the two communities on both sides of the border, encouraging and enhancing overall tourism in the cross-border region, protecting the natural environment on both sides of the border. Following on from the Northern Ireland Department for Infrastructure, started work on preparing a business case regarding a Narrow Water Bridge scheme. The purpose of the business case is to consider the need to construct a bridge over the Nuri River and appraise options to ensure any proposal put forward is likely to represent value for money. My department has provided input into this work. It is the case that the proposal for the Narrow Water Bridge does have to be considered in light of welcome developments with respect to the Nuri South Relief Road since 2016. That road, which is included in the Belfast City deal, would include an alternative route for strategic traffic that avoids Nuri's city centre and link to the eastern seaport, that is the A1N1 Belfast-Dublin key transport corridor, which includes road and rail links between Larne and the border at Nuri, facilitating onward travel to Dublin and improving access to other regional gateways. The Department for Infrastructure has conducted a community consultation on the NSSR in this year to help identify clearly the advantages and disadvantages in environmental engineering, economic and traffic terms of the preferred route. The current proposal for the Nuri South Relief Road is likely to include pedestrian cycling provision as well as connectivity to the B79-R173 Fathom line leading to Amid Carlingford. The overall assessment of the case for a Narrow Water Bridge, including in the context of developing a wider tourism initiative for the region, is not at a stage where there is a clearly defined and costed scheme. It is not possible, therefore, to ring-fence funding for a Narrow Water Bridge scheme in advance of future decisions on the scheme, including consideration by a reconvened NSMC. Thank you, Cahiri. Minister, it is regrettable that there seems to be further delays with regard to the proposal to get the A5 upgrade going, and that's beyond the powers of the Oireachtas or any government minister here. But, Minister, I think a clear message could go out if you ensure that the N2 upgrade is progressed as quickly as possible. Monaghan County Council, who will do a very good job, they are the project promoters in relation to the planning and design work on behalf of Monaghan and Lowd County Councils. So, I think if a message go out that there will be no delays following the full consultation with the local people and with local communities as well, and I think it's extremely important because that area, again, and I emphasise that the north-west and north-east, we have particular challenges due to the fact that we have a border. We will have additional challenges with Brexit, because there are nothing but adverse impacts from Brexit, regardless of which way Britain leaves the European Union. We sincerely hope that they will leave with a good deal for both the European Union and Britain. But, Minister, we need to send out a clear message to the government and this state is fully committed to cross-border infrastructure, the development of cross-border infrastructure. And could I just say, Minister, with regard to what my colleague Deputy Brannock just said in relation to the Narrow Water Bridge, in my early days in politics, I remember when we talked about restoring the then-Belly-Connel-Balna-Moore Canal, people told us it couldn't be done. That was back in the early 1990s. It was transformed, the engineering technology was there, and has become a very successful error than Shannon Waterway. The political vision was there to do it at that time, and that's what we need again. Go raibh maith aga heirig. If I can satisfy Deputy Smith, and I think it's probably something that's difficult to do, I would certainly say that the commitment of the government to both these projects is absolute, it's total. There is absolutely no pullback on them whatsoever. And, as he says, the commitment in terms of funds is there, the 75 million sterling is committed to, and we stand absolutely 100% behind that. There's going to be no pullback on that either. But, as he says, and as he knows, what is happening is that there are perfectly legitimate, very regrettable in many ways, delays on this, and they are the other side of the border. We obviously cannot do anything about those, and they've been going on for a long time, and every time that there's one legal action, it seems to be followed by another. But these are proper planning objections, and they're right, and it is something which those of us in a hurry to benefit border regions, and also to benefit tourism, and to our commitment to cross-border roads and bridges, regret that this is happening. But we must allow those procedures to happen. But let me assure you completely that our commitment, the A5, and it's a cross-border commitment, but it's also a cross-government commitment, is as great as yours was in government as well. And at the earliest opportunity, that cross-border project will go ahead. It is not us, it's not our doing, which is holding it back. We're particularly conscious of that, not just in the light of what you've been saying continuously here, which has been helpful, but because of what's happening in Brexit. And we understand fully the need to promote, and we've acted upon it, activity in the border regions. And that applies equally to Narrow Water Bridge, which was raised by Deputy Brannock. I'd just say to him this. No, there isn't a hesitation there either. But there is certain difficulties there because of the options which have been presented. And we can't, you can't, whereas our commitment is equally strong in that case, you can't actually ring fence, which is fairly technical. You can't ring fence some money for something which isn't actually at this stage defined. But our commitment to that is there. And you can take my word that substantial funding will be made available at the appropriate time when the project is defined and costed properly.