Doherty raises issue of A5 funding in meeting with Troika

Sinn Féin West Tyrone MP Pat Doherty raised the issue of the Irish government’s withdrawal of funding for the A5 dual carriageway when a party delegation, which included Deputy Pearse Doherty, vice president Mary Lou McDonald, social protection spokesperson Aengus Ó Snodaigh met, with the Troika review group in Dublin this morning.

Pat Doherty said,

“This is the 3rd meeting Sinn Féin has held with Troika and we once again impressed upon them the counter-productive nature of their continued insistence that the state meets deficit reduction targets-not only in terms of the negative consequences these are having on returning the economy to a position of growth but also the devastating consequences they are  having on low and middle income families.

“Our meeting with the Troika was frank and constructive. However it is clear that they are more focused on meeting deficit reduction targets than on the need for investment in jobs and growth.

“In the context of the Irish government so far reneging on the commitment it entered into as part of the St Andrew’s Agreement to joint fund the A5 Dual Carriageway Project with the Northern Executive and given that the deficit reduction targets set by Troika is still being used by the government as an excuse for failing to honour this commitment, it was important to establish Troika’s position on the funding of this key infrastructural project,

“Troika said they were not prescriptive on how the deficit reduction targets are met and that the Irish government had significant scope and choice on what policies it pursues so it is clear that the decision to pull funding for the A5 was a purely political decision and not one based upon any specific conditions imposed by Troika.

“As with choosing to impose the burden of austerity on low and middle income families, rather than on the very wealthy in our society, the Irish government has also made the political choice of holding back funding from the A5- and in doing so is setting back the economic and social development of the northwest region and Ireland as a whole.

 “Sinn Fein will continue to press the Irish government to live up to its commitments on the A5 at every available opportunity.