I have been continually raising with the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform and with the Minister for Transport the need to provide specific additional funding for road infrastructure in the border region.
There will be huge competitive challenges for the economy in the border region following BREXIT. In areas like Cavan/Monaghan we are totally dependent on the road network for transport. Poor road infrastructure is a further additional cost burden on business.
To assist enterprise and commerce in the border region the Government must undertake a major programme of road improvement works. Routes, carrying heavy volumes of traffic and which do not have national road status such as the Cavan/Cootehill/Shercock/Carrickmacross/Dundalk route, should be earmarked for specific investment. Such roads are important for the local economy.
I believe that the Government should be actively seeking additional support from the European Union through Cohesion Funding to address these infrastructural deficits.
Below are replies to my ongoing Parliamentary Questions to the Public Expenditure and Reform and Transport Ministers –
______________________________________________
For Oral Answer on : 12/02/2019
Question Number(s): 73,74 Question Reference(s): 6719/19, 6720/19
Department: Transport, Tourism and Sport
Asked by: Brendan Smith T.D.
______________________________________________
QUESTION
* To ask the Minister for Transport; Tourism and Sport his plans to provide specific additional funding to local authorities in the Border region such as counties Cavan and Monaghan; if regional routes which carry a heavy volume of traffic will be improved in view of the fact that improved road infrastructure is needed to reduce costs for business and commerce and the competitive challenges that will face many sectors in the region following Brexit; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
– Brendan Smith T.D.
For ORAL answer on Tuesday, 12 February, 2019.
* To ask the Minister for Transport; Tourism and Sport if he has put specific proposals for funding to the European Commission in relation to the urgent need to upgrade road infrastructure in the Border region due to the additional challenges for business and commerce in the region following Brexit; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
– Brendan Smith T.D.
For ORAL answer on Tuesday, 12 February, 2019.
REPLY
I share the concerns of the Deputy in relation to the potential adverse effects of Brexit on the Border region. The Government remains firmly of the view that the best and only way to ensure an orderly withdrawal and protect the Good Friday Agreement is to ratify the Withdrawal Agreement, agreed between the EU and the British Government.
In 2018, following the publication of the National Development Plan and the National Planning Framework, Minister Donohoe and I wrote a joint letter to Transport Commissioner Bulc and Regional Policy Commissioner Cretu emphasising the considerable challenges facing Ireland in the transport sector and setting out how the NDP and NPF will inform future investments into the regions, including the West, Border and North West regions which will be particularly impacted by Brexit. We made the point that investment in infrastructure has the potential to mitigate the implications of Brexit in these regions.
A proposal for a new Regulation for the Connecting Europe Facility (CEF) – the funding mechanism for TEN-T from 2021 – is also currently under consideration at EU level. A Partial General Approach was agreed in relation to this proposal at Transport Council last December, which would in principle mean that post 2020 calls for funding may be open to infrastructure on the Comprehensive Network in Member States where there is no land border with another EU Member State. If this is maintained as part of the final agreed Regulation, it will mean that organisations will continue to be eligible to apply for funding for projects coming within the application criteria after 2020.
My Department continues to liaise with the European Commission in relation to the TEN-T network in the context of Brexit, including in relation to the EU’s proposal outlined above, and my Department has raised Ireland’s concerns about the implications for connectivity and trade in light of the UK’s decision to leave the EU.
In relation to roads and the Border Region, the National Development Plan sets out the Government’s ambition in this area. Chapter 4 of the NDP looks at how targeted investment can promote economic resilience in the border region in the context of Brexit. This Chapter touches on a range of measures including investment in transport links. The NDP includes references, among other projects, to the N2/A5 roads, the N14 from Manorcunningham to Lifford, the N52 Ardee Bypass, the N2 Slane Bypass, the N4 from Collooney to Castlebaldwin, and the N56 in Donegal.
Schemes on these routes are at various stages of development and Transport Infrastructure Ireland, in conjunction with the relevant local authorities, will be advancing the schemes on a phased basis within the overall capital budget available to it.
As regards regional and local roads, I have been pleased to be able to allocate significantly increased grant funding to local authorities over the last two years. In this context grant allocations to Cavan and Monaghan in 2019 are up over 40% compared to the 2017 allocation.
While the main focus continues to be on maintenance and renewal expenditure, some limited funding is available for Specific and Strategic road improvement grants. Any projects proposed by local authorities for consideration under the Specific or Strategic Grant Programmes are assessed by the Department on a case-by-case project basis and must comply with the requirements of the Public Spending Code and my Department’s Capital Appraisal Framework.
Grant funding being provided to local authorities in border counties includes a grant to Cavan County Council to enable the Council to update previous appraisal work relating to an upgrade of the Cavan to Dundalk regional road route. The aim is to assess the extent to which the scheme or elements of it can be justified in terms of appraisal and advanced for further consideration.
______________________________________________
For Written Answer on : 05/02/2019
Question Number(s): 192 Question Reference(s): 5651/19
Department: Public Expenditure and Reform
Asked by: Brendan Smith T.D.
______________________________________________
QUESTION
To ask the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform the outcome of discussions to date with the European Commission in relation to cohesion funding post-2020; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
REPLY
Following the publication of the Multi-annual Financial Framework (MFF) on 02 May 2018, the Commission published their Cohesion Policy Legislative package on 29 May, along with initial indicative allocations of structural and cohesion fund support for each Member State.
In Ireland’s case this allocated was estimated to be €1.088 billion. However, it should be noted that final details of Ireland’s ultimate allocation will not be confirmed until after the conclusion of negotiations on the MFF. Beyond this estimate, there is no further detail available as to what the final allocation will be or how it will be allocated between the various Funds. For the next round, the Border Midland and Western Region will revert to being a transition region, as its GDP per capita is between 75% and 100% of the average EU GDP, while the Southern and Eastern Region remains a more developed region. The level of co-financing to be provided by the Member State has increased to 60% for more developed regions, 45% for transitions regions and 30% for less developed regions (up from 50%, 40% and 15/20%).
In line with the obligations under the European (Scrutiny) Act, 2002, and the European Union Act, 2009, with regard to the provision of information on EU business to the Oireachtas, scrutiny notes were prepared in relation to all elements of the package and have been considered by Joint Oireachtas Committee on EU Affairs.
Since the European Commission published its legislative proposals on the regulations governing the implementation Cohesion Policy programmes post 2020, discussions have been on-going at Working Party and Ministerial level with Member States, seeking to clarify the proposals and assess their implications. Ireland is participating actively in these negotiations. In general Ireland believes that the legislative package is a good starting point for negotiations and welcomes, in particular, the level of simplification introduced in relation to the implementation of programmes.
Since the European Commission published its legislative proposals discussions have been on-going at Working Party and Ministerial Level and Council’s position on the overall package remains to be finalised.
Following on from the Bulgarian Presidency, who undertook the first examinations and considerations of the overall package, the Austrian Presidency held working party meetings almost weekly, aimed at progressing the Common Provisions Regulation (CPR), the European Regional Development Fund Regulation/Cohesion Fund (ERDF/CF), the European Social Fund + Regulation (ESF+), the European Territorial Cooperation Regulation (ETC) and the European Cross Border Mechanism Regulation (ECBM) – while concentrating on the CPR. This has allowed a “partial general agreement” (ie agreement on particular negotiating blocks, subject to overall agreement on MFF) on the Council’s position, ahead of further negotiations with the European Parliament, to be reached on two blocks (or parts) of the Common Provisions Regulation, i.e. Blocks 1 and 5, relating to programming and strategic planning (Block 1), and management and control (Block 5). These were prioritised by the Austrian Presidency to assist national and regional authorities with their preparations for planning and programming the implementation of post 2020 programmes. The Austrian Presidency presented a progress report to the European Council on 13th/14th December before handing the file over to the incoming Romanian Presidency.
The Romanian Presidency commenced working party meetings on 10 January and like their predecessors have set out a very ambitions work programme involving almost weekly meetings. Their priority is to reach a partial general approach on further blocks of the Regulations before the 25 June European Council and they will continue discussions on the ERDF/CF, ESF+ and ETC Regulations based on progress made to date.
______________________________________________
For Oral Answer on : 12/02/2019
Question Number(s): 73,74 Question Reference(s): 6719/19, 6720/19
Department: Transport, Tourism and Sport
Asked by: Brendan Smith T.D.
______________________________________________
QUESTION
* To ask the Minister for Transport; Tourism and Sport his plans to provide specific additional funding to local authorities in the Border region such as counties Cavan and Monaghan; if regional routes which carry a heavy volume of traffic will be improved in view of the fact that improved road infrastructure is needed to reduce costs for business and commerce and the competitive challenges that will face many sectors in the region following Brexit; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
– Brendan Smith T.D.
For ORAL answer on Tuesday, 12 February, 2019.
* To ask the Minister for Transport; Tourism and Sport if he has put specific proposals for funding to the European Commission in relation to the urgent need to upgrade road infrastructure in the Border region due to the additional challenges for business and commerce in the region following Brexit; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
– Brendan Smith T.D.
For ORAL answer on Tuesday, 12 February, 2019.
REPLY
I share the concerns of the Deputy in relation to the potential adverse effects of Brexit on the Border region. The Government remains firmly of the view that the best and only way to ensure an orderly withdrawal and protect the Good Friday Agreement is to ratify the Withdrawal Agreement, agreed between the EU and the British Government.
In 2018, following the publication of the National Development Plan and the National Planning Framework, Minister Donohoe and I wrote a joint letter to Transport Commissioner Bulc and Regional Policy Commissioner Cretu emphasising the considerable challenges facing Ireland in the transport sector and setting out how the NDP and NPF will inform future investments into the regions, including the West, Border and North West regions which will be particularly impacted by Brexit. We made the point that investment in infrastructure has the potential to mitigate the implications of Brexit in these regions.
A proposal for a new Regulation for the Connecting Europe Facility (CEF) – the funding mechanism for TEN-T from 2021 – is also currently under consideration at EU level. A Partial General Approach was agreed in relation to this proposal at Transport Council last December, which would in principle mean that post 2020 calls for funding may be open to infrastructure on the Comprehensive Network in Member States where there is no land border with another EU Member State. If this is maintained as part of the final agreed Regulation, it will mean that organisations will continue to be eligible to apply for funding for projects coming within the application criteria after 2020.
My Department continues to liaise with the European Commission in relation to the TEN-T network in the context of Brexit, including in relation to the EU’s proposal outlined above, and my Department has raised Ireland’s concerns about the implications for connectivity and trade in light of the UK’s decision to leave the EU.
In relation to roads and the Border Region, the National Development Plan sets out the Government’s ambition in this area. Chapter 4 of the NDP looks at how targeted investment can promote economic resilience in the border region in the context of Brexit. This Chapter touches on a range of measures including investment in transport links. The NDP includes references, among other projects, to the N2/A5 roads, the N14 from Manorcunningham to Lifford, the N52 Ardee Bypass, the N2 Slane Bypass, the N4 from Collooney to Castlebaldwin, and the N56 in Donegal.
Schemes on these routes are at various stages of development and Transport Infrastructure Ireland, in conjunction with the relevant local authorities, will be advancing the schemes on a phased basis within the overall capital budget available to it.
As regards regional and local roads, I have been pleased to be able to allocate significantly increased grant funding to local authorities over the last two years. In this context grant allocations to Cavan and Monaghan in 2019 are up over 40% compared to the 2017 allocation.
While the main focus continues to be on maintenance and renewal expenditure, some limited funding is available for Specific and Strategic road improvement grants. Any projects proposed by local authorities for consideration under the Specific or Strategic Grant Programmes are assessed by the Department on a case-by-case project basis and must comply with the requirements of the Public Spending Code and my Department’s Capital Appraisal Framework.
Grant funding being provided to local authorities in border counties includes a grant to Cavan County Council to enable the Council to update previous appraisal work relating to an upgrade of the Cavan to Dundalk regional road route. The aim is to assess the extent to which the scheme or elements of it can be justified in terms of appraisal and advanced for further consideration.