Debate contribution: A5: Delivery
Debate contribution by Mr Mark Durkan on .
- MLA
- Mr Mark Durkan
- Party at the time
- Social Democratic and Labour Party
- Date
- 5 March 2024
- Type
- Debate contribution
- Business
- Adjournment
- Heading
- A5: Delivery
- Assembly identifier
- Official Report component 4253001
Read the official Assembly record
Text
I welcome the opportunity to speak in the debate, and, while many Adjournment debates have a narrow constituency focus and the A5 runs through the heart of Miss Brogan's constituency, it is fair to say that the negative impact associated with the A5 has been felt much more widely. The benefits of the improved new A5 will be enjoyed across the north-west, including my constituency of Foyle and beyond. The A5 is one of five key transport corridors on the island. The significant recent funding commitment from the Irish Government is hugely welcome. I hope that that announcement will see movement for this long-awaited and continuously delayed project. The £600 million investment was made possible thanks to the unwavering fortitude of campaigners, including, as mentioned, families of victims who lost their life on that treacherous route and to the political perseverance of Members across the Chamber. It would be remiss of me not to mention my party colleague Daniel McCrossan, and I would not be forgiven if I did not. He has been a huge champion for the project and has managed to keep it on the collective agenda of the Governments on both sides of the border. The winding north-west corridor in the heart of rural Tyrone has earned its title of the most dangerous road on the island. The deadly nature of the A5 is ingrained in the collective consciousness. For many, the fight to change that perception and tragic reality has been fraught with difficulty. We have heard a bit this afternoon about the history of the project. The Dublin Government included it in the fourth national development plan. That was largely down, I have to say, to the lobbying of the SDLP at the time, which can be proved. Its inclusion and priority in that programme was challenged by Peter Robinson, who claimed that it would be sectarian to prioritise a project in the west. He pushed for the inclusion of the Belfast to Larne dualling project, and that was ultimately included as well. That road has been open for nearly 10 years, and we still have not seen a sod turned on the A5, despite the Executive granting approval for it in 2007. In this case, the intervening period of dysfunction and delay, which is now decades long, has not only resulted in disillusionment but perhaps played a part in the devastating loss of so many lives. Many more people have suffered serious injury, and countless families have been devastated by the trauma of loss. While there are many factors of causation in road traffic collisions, we cannot deny that that extremely dangerous road is a massive contributing factor to the high number of road deaths, nor can we deny — I have mentioned this already — the role of the valiant and steadfast campaigners and the bereaved families. I pay tribute, as others have done, to all those who have turned their grief into the power to deliver change and ensure that no one experiences the same avoidable heartbreak that they have experienced. When completed, the new road will stand as a lasting testament to the love and dedication that they hold for their loved ones. The upgrade of the A5 will not only improve safety but bring significant economic opportunities, attracting much-needed jobs and investment for the entire north-west region and the people of Tyrone, Derry and Donegal. We now need the Minister of Finance and the Minister for Infrastructure to get on with its delivery. I appreciate the process that the Minister has to go through and how carefully he has to do that. There has been many a slip 'twixt cup and lip, but we are nearly there. We look forward to getting to the starting point and getting the job done. We call on the Minister to do that and will support him in doing so.
646 words. Text as published by the Northern Ireland Assembly.
Assessment
Jev’s structured answers met the documented threshold for “not flagged”.
- Overall probability that the activity is being used to promote, exploit or escalate an identity-based controversy: 0.07 (flagging needs at least 0.70; at or below 0.30 is not flagged).
- None of the five culture-war criteria was met (each was below 0.60).
- Assessed as legitimate policy scrutiny (0.90).
- No identity-based framing was identified (0.77).
- Subject area: Sectarianism, hate crime and community relations.
- The overall probability was at or below the not-flagging threshold.
This is an AI-generated assessment of the text, made against published criteria. It is not a finding of fact about the MLA or their intentions. The Assembly record itself is the fact.
Jev’s structured answers
| Question | Probability | Met? |
|---|---|---|
| Identity framing | 0.06 | No |
| Sectarian or communal antagonism | 0.03 | No |
| Cultural grievance politics | 0.02 | No |
| Dog-whistle messaging | 0.06 | No |
| Controversy escalation | 0.07 | No |
| Legitimate policy scrutiny | 0.90 | Yes |
| Overall judgement | 0.07 | At or below not-flagging threshold |
| Option | Probability |
|---|---|
| No identity-based framing (chosen) | 0.77 |
| Reports or questions it | 0.20 |
| Criticises or condemns it | 0.02 |
| Adopts it | 0.01 |
| Subject | Probability |
|---|---|
| Sectarianism, hate crime and community relations | 0.67 |
| Legacy of the Troubles, victims and paramilitarism | 0.23 |
| No identity-related subject | 0.08 |
| Religion and belief (including people of no religion), churches, faith communities and religious prejudice (including antisemitism and anti-Muslim prejudice) | 0.01 |
| Flags, emblems, symbols, names and memorials | 0.00 |
Assessed 21 October 2026 at 01:20 UTC by jev-1.13.0 (requested as typesafe/jev) under rubric 2026.10-r9, methodology 1.9.
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