Vol. 521 No. 3
79 Cecilia Keaveney asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs the reason a Border crossing (details supplied) in County Donegal has remained closed despite ongoing representations over a period of years; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16864/00]
I refer the Deputy to my predecessor's replies to her previous questions regarding Canning's Lane, on 30 November and 27 January 1999, and on 9 June and 28 April 1998. I sympathise with the concerns of local residents in Muff, County Donegal that the section of Canning's Lane, off Coney Road, which lies in Northern Ireland, has not yet been fully opened.
We have, on numerous occasions, conveyed our concern to the authorities in Northern Ireland that the section of this cross-Border road which lies in Northern Ireland has not yet been fully opened. As previously pointed out, a number of significant obstacles to its reopening have been overcome with the formal assertion by Derry City Council of the public right of way over the road and the acceptance by the Northern Ireland Department of the Environment that it had responsibility for upgrading the road to highway standard.
This issue is now the responsibility of the Department of Regional Development and is currently the subject of discussion between Derry City Council, the Department of Regional Development and the legal representatives of the landowner.
The Department has again raised this issue with the appropriate authorities and is awaiting a response. I will make the detail available to the Deputy as soon as a response is received.
