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Today’s Budget An Important Step Forward for North-South Agenda – Smith

Written by Alan Dennedy | 13 October 2020

Fianna Fáil TD for Cavan Monaghan Brendan Smith has welcomed the announcement in today’s budget that the government is committed to spending €500 Million over the course of the next five years on key infrastructure projects.

This capital funding will allow for the delivery of long promised cross border infrastructural projects and represents a fundamental shift in how the cross-border agenda is managed.

Deputy Smith commented, “For many years the potential of the North-South strand of the Good Friday Agreement was largely unfulfilled.  Fianna Fáil has been clear that transformation of the cross-border agenda was a key priority for this new Government.

“Today’s announcement of €500 million for the work of our new Shared Island Unit over the course of the next five years is an important step towards realising that vision.

“Key cross border infrastructure projects that have been agreed in principle for many years and appear in successive political agreements now have a clear line of funding. The new Shared Island Unit will be tasked with driving them forwards.

“Today, we have ring fenced funding to underpin that delivery,” concluded Deputy Smith.