Vol. 447 No. 1
187 Miss Coughlan asked the Minister for the Environment the moneys, if any, which will be made available to open Border roads in County Donegal; the roads his Department will be funding; the efforts, if any, which are being made to ensure the Northern authorities will carry out necessary repairs in their jurisdiction; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3092/94]
I intend that grants will be made available to Donegal County Council to meet in full the approved cost to them of reopening the 39 cross-Border roads in the county which were closed for security reasons. Approved works on similarly affected non-national roads in other Border counties will also be funded in this way.
I understand that three of the Donegal roads concerned are now open on both sides of the Border, while required works in Northern Ireland to reinstate another road are due to be completed later this week. A further eight roads within Donegal are expected to be reinstated during November, paralleling work being undertaken in the North.
My Department is involved in ongoing consultations with the Northern Ireland authorities on the arrangements for reopening cross-Border roads, including the timing and nature of the works required. I am anxious to see the task completed as soon as possible and will make the necessary funding available to county councils to facilitate this. The rate of progress, may, however, be affected by weather conditions. In some cases, also, the repair or replacement of bridges (which in Donegal will be a factor in the case of seven roads) will affect the timing.
One national road, the N3 between Cavan and Enniskillen, was also closed. The works required in this case to secure the reopening of the road as early as possible, including the replacement of Aghalane Bridge, are being assessed by the National Roads Authority in consultation with the Northern Ireland authorities.
