“I am absolutely delighted with this news and I am delighted to be in a position as Government Minister to announce it. This busy section of road serves north and west Donegal including Glenveagh National Park, Gaoth Dobhair, Creeslough, Rosgoill, Dunfanaghy, Falcarragh and the Wild Atlantic Way. Funding of €12.56 Million has been allocated for the new road with another €2.71 Million for Irish Water to replace both the existing principle water supply from Lough Salt to Letterkenny and the distribution mains for the entire area including Rathmullan.

Fine Gael Senator, Paddy Burke, has said the GMIT working group will meet with students and staff at the Castlebar campus later this month.

Fine Gael TD for Limerick County, Tom Neville, has called for all hospitals to use a text alert system to remind patients of their hospital appointments.

“I am delighted to announced that my colleague Minister Heather Humphreys has allocated just over €121,000 to 10 heritage projects in Donegal in the latest round of funding. I am particularly pleased at the funding announced for Rathmullan Abbey and St Columb’s Church in Ballynally and funding for repair of a town house on Church Lane in Letterkenny."

Minister Joe McHugh has welcomed substantial funding released today to a number of Donegal seafood companies. Six local companies received €721,188 of the total national grants announcement of €1.3M. Four companies received substantial funding under the Sustainable Aquaculture Scheme.

I am glad that they recognise that we should move on to talk about the framework of the future relationship between the EU and the UK as soon as sufficient progress has been made on the withdrawal issues.

I am pleased that the the intensive engagement by the Government with our EU partners has resulted in Ireland's concerns being reflected prominently in the EU's position for the upcoming Brexit negotiations as adopted by the European Council today.

Irish Water and Donegal County Council today (Friday, April 28) marked the start of construction on the €4 million investment by the national utility in a new water treatment plant at Owenteskna to benefit almost 4,000 consumers in the South West Donegal area.

SN na Carraige in Carrick has been given funding to carry out electrical works at the school. Funding is also being released to St Peter’s National School in Mountcharles to carry out external environmental improvements.

“The fire services are unique in that they are run by the Local Authorities of the country and aren’t a national organisation in the same way as the Defence Forces and An Garda Síochána,” said Minister McHugh. “I think this has been an oversight and rather than relying on Local Authorities to recognise the role of the fire service during the 2016 commemorative year in their area, I believe there should also be a national award.