Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 3 October 2023
202. Deputy Pearse Doherty asked the Minister for Transport if he has received a request to meet with a group (details supplied); if he will accept its invitation to meet with it to discuss the future of the A5 upgrade project; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42476/23]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe planning and implementation of the A5 upgrade project is the responsibility of the authorities in Northern Ireland. The funding arrangements in relation to the A5 have been governed by the 2014 Stormont House Agreement and Implementation Plan - A Fresh Start, and under this Agreement the Government is committed to provide funding of £75 million towards the cost of the A5 upgrade scheme once the statutory planning process in Northern Ireland is concluded. Provision of £25 million sterling is being made by my Department in 2023 for funding the scheme, should this be required. The Department for Infrastructure in Northern Ireland 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. The Department for Infrastructure expects to have the report of the Public Inquiry by year end and possibly sooner. The Department for Infrastructure has informed the Department of Transport that construction of the Main Works is currently planned to start in April or May of 2024 with the commencement of Section 1 from Newbuildings to Strabane. However, this is subject to a number of conditions being met, including a positive outcome from the report of the recently concluded Public Inquiry, completion of the Statutory Orders and agreement of a Target Cost with the contractor. If there is a further legal challenge the start dates will likely be revisited.
Neither I nor officials in my Department have met with stakeholders involved in the A5 Enough is Enough campaign, however, officials in my Department engage regularly with the Senior Officials Group on North/South Infrastructure and Investment. The purpose of the group is to facilitate discussion between the Irish Government and the Northern Ireland Executive on the implementation of relevant commitments. This aims to drive forward implementation of North/South infrastructure and investment commitments set out in the framework of New Decade, New Approach, including projects such as the A5.
