25 Meith 2014, 17:03
Local representatives from both sides of the border in the Northwest will appear before the Oireachtas Committee on the Implementation of the Good Friday Agreement tomorrow morning to discuss the delivery of the A5 road upgrade.
25 June 2014
Members of the A5 Working Group will address the Committee. The Working Group is part of the activities of the North West Region Cross Border Group, which comprises 22 elected representatives as well as the Chief Executives and County Manager of the five local authorities of Derry City Council, Donegal County Council, Limavady Borough Council, Magherafelt District Council and Strabane District Council.
Committee Chairman Joe McHugh says: “Reflecting the aims of the Good Friday Agreement, our Committee is working to explore all practical ways towards cooperation and reconciliation. The important discussions we host on a shared future for the island are sometimes aspirational in nature but our meeting tomorrow centres on a tangible project, the delivery of which will unleash significant benefits for the citizens of the Northwest.”
“Development of the region has long been stifled by a lack of adequate transport links. The A5 Working Group is expected to argue that the commitment of the Irish Government and the Northern Ireland Executive to the A5 dual carriageway project must be turned into a financial reality by both Governments in 2015. Tomorrow’s meeting is a valuable opportunity to engage with political voices on the ground, in local authority areas with much to gain from the proposed projects.”
Separately, the Committee will consider developments in North/South cooperation with the Centre for Cross Border Studies.
Deputy McHugh continues: “The Centre for Cross Border Studies is an independent university-based research and development centre which commissions, encourages and publishes research on cross-Border co-operation in all fields of society and the economy. It is widely regarded as having accumulated an unparalleled knowledge base on potential and actual cross border co-operation. We look forward to considering recent developments in the area of North/South cooperation with Centre representatives tomorrow. ”
The meeting takes place tomorrow Thursday 26 June at 10:15 am in Committee Room 4, LH 2000. It will commence with engagement with the Centre for Cross Border Studies and can be viewed online here.
Committee proceedings can also be viewed on the move, through the Houses of the Oireachtas Smartphone App, available for Apple and Android devices.
Ends
For further information please contact:
Paul Hand,
Communications Unit,
Houses of the Oireachtas,
Leinster House,
Dublin 2
P: +3531 618 4484
M: +353 87 694 9926
paul.hand@oireachtas.ie
Members of the Committee:
Deputies: Seán Conlan, Seán Crowe, Clare Daly, Regina Doherty, Frank Feighan, Martin Ferris, Peter M Fitzpatrick, Michael P Kitt, Joe McHugh (Chair), Joe O’Reilly (Vice-Chair), Aodhán Ó Ríordáin, Brendan Smith, Joanna Tuffy and Jack Wall
Senators: Maurice Cummins (Leader of the House), Jim D’Arcy, Mary Moran and Mary White