I raise the very sad fate of the Dublin-Derry economic road corridor, speaking as a member of the committee on the implementation of the Good Friday Agreement, and as a passionate supporter of economic development North and South for the peace of the country. The reallocation of £115 million that was due to be spent on upgrading the Northern Ireland section of the Dublin to Derry economic corridor is another blow to the economic prospects of the north west and the Border counties along the route. The reallocation of £115 million, announced on Monday by the North's Minister for Finance, Simon Hamilton, MLA, was made without any reference to a target date, or date of expectation as to when the long-awaited upgrade of that strategic road corridor will commence.

It is a far cry from the commitment given in the 2006 St. Andrews Agreement when the Northern Ireland Executive and the Irish Government committed to jointly fund the upgrade of the road from the Border at Aughnacloy to Derry. The Irish Government's lack of commitment to upgrading the N2 road section between Aughnacloy and Clontibret on the southern side is appalling and reflects in turn a lack of commitment to the all-Ireland economy and the economic plight of the Border counties and the north-west region of Donegal and Derry. Monaghan County Council is seeking €1.5 million for pre-planning applications for the road but neither the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport, Deputy Leo Varadkar, nor the National Roads Authority will authorise this funding or the necessary preparatory work. In consequence, the road journey from Dublin to Derry takes three and a half hours, more time than it takes to travel from Dublin to any other city on the island, including Belfast, Sligo, Galway, Limerick, Cork or Waterford.

It takes four hours to get to Mayo.

As a result of the lack of action by the Northern Ireland Government and the Irish Government, the completion of this crucial economic corridor between Dublin and the Border counties and the north-west region of Donegal and Derry remains firmly in limbo.

I fully agree with Senator Mary White's comments but not with her analysis. The record shows that the Government has the commitment but not the money, while the Northern Ireland Government has the money but not the commitment. I am sick and tired of listening to commentators from Sinn Féin telling us what the Government has not done for the A5 while its party is in power in Northern Ireland with its hands on the purse strings. I agree that the money should be spent. Obviously the Government does not have £500 million to complete the project. I have heard Sinn Féin complaining about the Government and the previous one, saying the money is there for the project. However, when it had the chance in Northern Ireland, being part of the Government and unable to run from the issue as it usually does and saying it is the fault of the DUP or the Unionists, Sinn Féin signed off on the reallocation of this money for the A5. As Senator Mary White stated, rightly, counties Donegal, Cavan, Monaghan and Sligo are involved. I drive that road twice or maybe three or four times a week. It takes me three hours and 15 minutes from the port tunnel. I would love if it took me two hours and 15 minutes but I expect to be travelling for that time for many years, whether I am in Seanad Éireann or otherwise.

We must be aware there is a party in government in Northern Ireland that is also in opposition here - with a different story. Last week its members spoke about the pensioners' telephone allowance and issued a postcard campaign. As often happens in "Dragons' Den", there is a big flaw in its project. It has not called for the pensioners across the Border to have a telephone allowance. The Administration of which it is part refused to sanction this in Northern Ireland. The pensioner in Castlederg in County Tyrone is different from the pensioner in Castlefin in County Donegal, according to Sinn Féin. This is another part of the party's hypocrisy in Northern Ireland to which we must point.

Will the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport come to the Chamber to talk specifically about the A5 road and its future? We want the facts and a timeline. The chambers of commerce and business people in Donegal were told by both this and the previous Governments that this road would be completed. The people who are preventing this are not in this Government; they are in government in Northern Ireland.

I thank Senator Mary White for raising the issue of the A5 and Senator Jimmy Harte for commenting on it. It is a deep regret that the Minister for Finance in the North of Ireland has decided, having had no consultation, to reallocate funding for a major road project which would link Dublin to Donegal. I disagree with Senator Jimmy Harte about the reason for the reallocation, in that it has been assisted in no small way by the decision of the Government not to allocate money to the A5 project. It was a political decision by the Government to play into the hands of the Northern Ireland Executive.

The Senator's party made many commitments.

Given the commitment by the previous Government to the project to open up the north west, the ball was hopped. All the North had to do was jig it over the bar, so to speak. That is exactly what it did because there has been a total lack of commitment to a project that was so important to the north west of this country.

We can and should blame the North. However, the Government cannot go without blame regarding the loss of €400 million-----

Money we do not have.

-----in respect of a project which would open up County Donegal and the north west. What has happened in this regard is outrageous. I hope the Leader will be able to facilitate an early debate on this issue, regional development and job creation. One of the reasons IDA Ireland only facilitated four site visits to the north west and County Donegal in the past 12 months primarily related to the lack of suitable road infrastructure in the region.

My final point relates to medical cards. This issue is a source of grave anxiety for elderly and disabled people. These individuals are concerned about the threat that they might lose their medical cards. There is a need for a debate, at the earliest opportunity, with the Minister for Health on the health budget and, more particularly, medical cards. There are other alternatives to cutting services for the most vulnerable. I hope the Leader will facilitate a debate on this matter.