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Seanad Éireann díospóireacht -
Wednesday, 27 Sep 2017

Vol. 253 No. 5

Mid-Term Review of Capital Plan: Statements

I welcome the Minister of State, Deputy Patrick O'Donovan.

I welcome the opportunity to address the Seanad in its new surroundings. Now that Senators are here, possession is nine tenths of the law. In fairness, it is a beautiful room and I compliment whoever organised it during the summer and everybody who worked on it. However long or short it is intended that the Seanad will located be here, I wish Senators the best of luck.

Included in A Programme for a Partnership Government is a commitment to increase public capital investment in the remaining period of the capital plan to 2021, to be allocated on the basis of the outcome of a review of the capital plan. In my contribution I will outline the process that has taken place as part of the mid-term review, the main themes and findings the analysis has produced and the next steps in developing a longer-term ten-year national investment plan. I would also like to discuss the efficiency of capital investment in Ireland and how we can ensure value for money will be achieved from the investments made. This is an issue that is all too often forgotten but which is of critical importance in delivering the infrastructure our society and economy so badly needs.

The mid-term review of the capital plan was launched in January and conducted over the course of the year. Its objective was to provide a robust evidence base that would guide and inform the decisions made on capital allocations at budget time in October. It will also be an important input to the long-term ten-year national investment plan which will be finalised before the end of the year. It has now been published and provides a detailed evidence base for the allocation of the €4.1 billion of additional funding available in the period to 2021 and subsequently the new ten-year national investment plan in the light of the infrastructural deficits identified through the analysis undertaken in the review.

The evidence base for the review includes detailed submissions by Departments and offices, an extensive public consultation process and an infrastructure capacity and demand analysis completed by the Irish Government Economic and Evaluation Service, IGEES, in the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform. It is important to note that in terms of the conduct of the review, it was a matter, in the first instance, for each Department to identify its sectoral priorities and specific projects. Departmental submissions were received by the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform earlier this year and these recommendations will play an important role in ensuring the additional funding will be aligned with the relevant sectoral priorities. The review examines a number of key issues relating to public capital investment in Ireland such as the rationale and objectives of public capital investment, the efficiency of public capital investment and steady State funding and the sustainability of increased public capital investment.

Based on all of the evidence and analysis, the review of the capital plan identified a number of key sectoral infrastructural priorities, including, in transport, the maintenance and upgrading of the road network, as well as public transport; in education, higher education and the schools building programme; in health, subject to further analysis, the totality of health capacity and infrastructure; and, in housing, on the basis of the review of the action plan for housing and homelessness. The Government will make final decisions on the allocation of the additional capital resources in advance of publication of the Estimates for 2018.

Following the allocation of funding for increased capital investment in the 2018 Estimates, a new ten-year national investment plan will be published before the end of the year for the period 2018 to 2027. The key priority for the ten-year plan will be to secure the coherence of long-term and strategic sectoral objectives with the planned new spatial configuration in the national planning framework. Drawing on key strategic sectoral objectives outlined by Departments and in line with international precedents, the longer-term focus of over five years will be largely thematic. The ten-year national investment plan will also include proposals for structural reform of public investment in the planning, selection and delivery of capital projects. It will be informed by the public investment management assessment, PIMA, undertaken by the International Monetary Fund, IMF, in July 2017. An IMF PIMA evaluates the design and effectiveness of the institutions that shape decision-making at the three key stages of the public investment cycle - planning investment, allocating investment to the right sectors and implementing investment. All of this work being carried out by the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform will ensure the additional capital resources available will be targeted at the priority public capital infrastructure required to support Ireland’s medium-term growth potential and underpin social cohesion.

Based on previous discussions, I expect all those present to agree that increasing capital investment in public infrastructure in the coming years is crucial for Ireland’s future development. It is, therefore, a moot point to a certain extent. However, simply increasing capital expenditure will not, in itself, result in all of the infrastructure deficits being addressed in the short term. Clearly, there are constraints on the economy’s capacity to deliver capital infrastructure in a given year. Increasing the efficiency of public investment will allow us to deliver greater levels of infrastructure. It is critical that we plan and prioritise our investment in a sustainable manner based on robust research and evidence, something that has not always happened in the past. In the period to 2008, capital investment was ramped up to unprecedented levels. Research from the ESRI has called into question the efficiency of the investment in that period and whether value for money was achieved, given the overheating and price inflation in the construction sector. Since that time the Office for Government Procurement has been established, the Government’s economic and evaluation service has been established and the public spending code has been developed. The recent publication of a capital projects tracker on the website of the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform, alongside the capital review, will also help to bring to the public greater transparency and certainty on the major projects planned for delivery. Furthermore, the Government’s intention to develop a long-term approach to capital investment will provide clarity, confidence and certainty for the construction sector to plan for providing the capacity and capability required to deliver the infrastructure on a value-for-money basis in the coming years.

It is very important in examining capital investment that we shift the debate away from an exclusive focus on individual projects. To make better use of the resources available for public capital investment we must support the continued development of a culture of evaluation in which projects will be subject to a full project appraisal consistent with the requirements outlined in the public spending code. This was a key theme in the submission made by the Committee on Budgetary Oversight on the capital review. The mid-term review of the capital plan was a detailed and comprehensive process. It provides us with an evidence base to debate and, I hope, come to some conclusions on what sectors of investment merit prioritisation in allocating the additional funding available.

The review of the capital plan also highlights some key themes that will closely inform and be incorporated into the analysis leading to the finalisation of the new ten-year national investment plan. A discussion of these themes may also be beneficial. They include confirmation of the central role of public capital investment in underpinning the economy’s long-term growth potential and addressing overheating risks, as well as supporting social progress; the need to align public capital investment priorities with the changing demographic profile; the critical importance of public capital infrastructure in meeting the essential requirement for balanced regional growth and promoting the societal transformation required to achieve climate action objectives; the mechanisms through which public investment can strengthen the economy’s resilience to major risks such as Brexit; the central importance of robust mechanisms to support the efficiency of public capital investment to ensure the public infrastructure and services delivered through capital expenditure will be secured on a value-for-money basis; and the strong business case for ensuring public capital spending will be balanced between new projects and maintaining the quality and capacity of existing public capital infrastructure.

As a Government, we are very interested in listening to the perspective of all Senators here today about these critically important issues. I look forward to a constructive session ahead.

I thank the Minister of State. He is very welcome to our new Chamber. It is my first time speaking in it. A fine body of work has been done. I would not mention too much about possession being nine tenths of the law. The Minister might frighten a few people. Those were his words and not mine. I am sure we will be looking forward to going back to our new Chamber-----

The Senators are in now anyway.

-----as soon as possible. I welcome the opportunity to speak on the mid-term review of the plan. It was announced with much fanfare in 2015 about the period from 2016 to 2021. We are only one year into it. It is probably not really a mid-term review, but a review of the early part of the term. Unfortunately, the announcement in 2015 did not say much. There was much fanfare but unfortunately the substance has not yet been delivered. The Government would like us to believe that it is the saviour of capital investment but, unfortunately, nothing could be further from the truth. The Government has much spin and so on involved, but we need to look at what is happening on the ground.

Capital expenditure has suffered extensively from austerity, as we know. It was only last year that capital expenditure exceeded the level of 2000 and 2001. Meanwhile, our secondary and minor road network is at breaking point, our national broadband roll-out is faltering and we have a crippling housing crisis. A whooping €4.5 billion in capital, to be fair, has been allocated to housing, yet very little has happened and very little has been delivered. It is true to say that units do not appear overnight and we all understand that, but we need to address it in a speedier fashion. The Government needs to return to building social and affordable housing as it has over many generations, including in many times in the past when we did not have many resources.

There is hardly a debate in this Chamber that does not involve the mention of Brexit. Brexit is certainly a very important consideration in the context of the mid-term capital review. It is one of the most significant geopolitical challenges that we have ever faced. Rural areas, particularly in the Border and midland regions, face very real threats as a result of a potential hard Brexit. While we all wish for there to not be a hard Brexit, it is very hard to reconcile the idea of not being in the customs union and yet wanting to have no border. Everybody says that they want no border, but I think it would be very difficult for us to have no hard border while simultaneously having the UK leave the customs union.

It is fair to say that we have had a two-tier recovery in Ireland and that parts of the country have done better in the last number of years than others. It is vital that both the national planning framework and the capital plan reflect this and help to drive development in the regions. As somebody based in Dublin who was a councillor for many years in Dublin but who has four country grandparents, it is not in Dublin's interests for everything to happen in Dublin. It adds to further congestion and pressure on prices of housing and services generally, including schools, green areas, sports clubs and so on. As many other speakers will allude to better than me, rural areas simultaneously face population decline and it is difficult to maintain services, schools and roads with a falling population.

Capital investment since 2008 has been abysmal and it has not met demographic needs or demands. Over the next decades, Ireland’s population is expected to reach unprecedented levels with some predicting a population of over 8 million by 2040. Fianna Fáil believes that the national planning framework and the capital plan should be integrated better to meet the needs of the country. The Government plans to release the national planning framework and the capital review at the same time. We believe that the national planning framework should provide the overarching objectives for the country and the capital plan should feed into those objectives. Further, we believe there should be a national infrastructure commission that would prioritise major capital investment in the context of the objectives outlined in the national planning framework. This would ensure that all aspects of Government policy go in the same direction. Both the national planning framework and the capital plan must have a balanced regional perspective. This means spreading economic development throughout the country. It is fair to give credit today when the M18 is opening and acknowledge that work is being done. We are more than willing to acknowledge the work that is being done when it is being done but we also point out that we need more.

In Ireland, we have had a two-tier recovery. It is not good for urban areas and it is very poor for rural areas. Rural areas are crying out for fear of their population and it is important that we try to give those areas a lift and to give them the advantages that they need to compete for investment. Of course, one is not necessarily going to get Google, Facebook or eBay in a small rural town, but we need to try to get more employment opportunities outside the greater Dublin area, as well as ensuring that we strengthen Dublin, which I will address in a moment. Commuting and travel times represent one of the most practical and quantifiable measures under which the greater Dublin area can improve its international offering. To reduce congestion in Dublin, metro north and DART underground need to be advanced and prioritised. A brand new town in Clonburris is proposed. It is going through planning at the moment. It is near Clondalkin. Equally, Cherrywood strategic development zone, SDZ, in my former county council area of Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown is progressing but major infrastructure is needed to accommodate 8,000 homes, with almost 20,000 people living in both areas. They need to be given the quality of life that they deserve for the 21st century town that we are building. It is a great opportunity but we need to ensure that the required capital investment is there. I mentioned before to the Minister that the Minister of State, Deputy O'Donovan, formerly worked with, Deputy Shane Ross, that the Luas green line is fairly full most of the time at Cherrywood already, and that we are going to put 20,000 people at the end of it. When he was last in here, the Minister said that it could be addressed, but there is nothing concrete.

Page 63 of the capital plan review addresses the Minister of State's former Department. I am not saying this because of Deputy O'Donovan; it is really in reference to the Minister, Deputy Shane Ross. The part on transport, tourism and sport is full of vague aspirations. There is nothing concrete or solid in it. There is about half a page on page 63 about an overall package of measures, "which focuses on areas that are supported by direct Exchequer investment", but nothing concrete about what we are doing or how. We need to face up to the challenges of congestion, not just with regard to quality of life, but the fact that we need to be able to get people to move around efficiently. The Dublin Chamber of Commerce made a very detailed and comprehensive submission to the mid-term review of the capital investment plan. It is over 18 pages. I am sure the Minister of State has had a chance to study it. It talks about a new approach to capital expenditure and Ireland's long-term needs, both for urban and rural Ireland, the short-term investment priorities and so on. I am sure it will be taken into account in the overall production of the mid-term review, but there is a lot of very good stuff in it and I think we need to make sure that we include many of its points because they are very well made.

I saw that Senator Kieran O'Donnell was here earlier and he never misses a change to mention the M20 and the proposal for it. I am sure he will mention it if he is back later. It is very important that we connect our second and third largest cities with a quality road network. Broadband is also a huge issue. It is a much bigger issue for areas outside of Dublin than it is in Dublin. The recent withdrawal of SIRO from the tender process further undermines whatever planning we had for the roll-out of broadband.

We should also mention public private partnerships, PPPs. We had Andrew McDowell at the finance committee. He is somebody the Minister of State would be very familiar with. He is the vice-president of the European Investment Bank. He talked about how it had money there, ready to go, but that we had limits on how many PPPs we could have. That is restricting the amount of money available for investment. We need to have more projects. We can look at whether PPPs work. Some work and some did not work so well but the concept should not be thrown out entirely. We must make sure that we have more growth and more ambition. The 10% rule makes it very difficult. Conor O’KeIly of the National Treasury Management Agency, NTMA, indicated that the use of public private partnerships can lock in exceptionally low interest rates for a long period of time. We also need to look at the Juncker plan and the European Investment Bank, as I mentioned. It is available and willing. Its representatives came into our Joint Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach and said that the funds are there and that we just need to harness them at relatively modest interest rates.

We also have Ireland Strategic Investment Fund, ISIF, with over €6 billion in foreign investments. Perhaps we could divest ourselves of some of those foreign investments and redirect that money into our own economy. We could then have further improvements in our infrastructure.

There are other issues that we could cover and I am conscious of the time. We need to make sure that the European fiscal rules are adjusted. We should say that productive capital investment is not the same as giving everyone revenue bonuses and so on with regard to current spending. We need to tackle the infrastructure crisis. We need to make sure that we deliver on behalf of all of our citizens and that our country is ready for the population growth we have, for the fact that people are living longer and that our population is growing very significantly. There are difficulties in schools, roads and so on. I welcome the review today. It is timely that we are here. Some progress has been made but we have a lot more to do. We wish the Minister of State the best with it.

The regions and Dublin need very significant investment in the future.

Before I call Senator Mulherin, I welcome to the Distinguished Visitors' Gallery our former colleague, Michael Mullins, from County Galway. Michael is very welcome. He was a most productive Member of the Seanad over five years. I know he is only taking temporary respite from the House and he will be back. He is very welcome and it is good to see him.

I am standing in for my colleague, Senator Paddy Burke, who will be here later. I also recognise the former Senator, Michael Mullins, in the Chamber.

The Minister of State has outlined the capital review and the next steps. We are down to kernel of the matter, namely, what our priorities will be for the €4.1 billion additional investment in capital spending which will be available between 2018 and 2021 and what the focus will be for the next ten years under the capital investment plan. It is about priorities. It exists in tandem with the new national planning framework which is still in draft form but we expect will come into existence by the end of the year.

I will outline an approach I believe would be helpful to simplify and achieve the Government's objectives outlined by the Minister for Finance in his introductory statement to the mid-term capital review. In his address he referred to balanced regional development and said this mid-term capital review was essential. Thanks to policies pursued by the Government, we are in a totally different economic space. There is the issue of responding to demographic change and why the population is declining in certain areas. Much of the elbow power which the Government has is in its capital expenditure along with other policies such as the Action Plan for Jobs, agencies and so on. The most significant way of shaping the country comes from the capital investment programme.

All things are not equal in the country. I agree there has been a two-tier recovery. Looking back to the last national spatial strategy, it had some good objectives and it identified some good things. Among many areas which are quite far behind, it is not the case that they have been left behind or have not experienced the recovery. We have seen a significant drop in unemployment, but these groups did not experience any investment under the national spatial strategy which was at least 15 years ago. They have been coming from behind and this is compounded because some areas which had capital investment in roads, broadband and so on can now rise more easily and are more able to attract private and public investment.

As priorities are being considered for 2021, and in ten years' time, these areas which did not experience delivery should be on the top of that list. These are predominantly rural areas. The west and north west is a unique region - I understand there may be areas of Kerry and west Cork whose experience may be similar - where there is no major interurban routes, no high-speed trains and no major ports in the north-north west. It has not had the delivery.

The report highlights historical investment. Can we have figures for historical capital investment in the regions, not only under the current and previous Governments but the one before? Based on looking at things on the ground, I am sure there is an anomaly and there has not been balanced regional development. We will not achieve our objectives for rural Ireland, with all the fine plans, such as the action plan for rural Ireland, the regional action plan for jobs, unless at a strategic level we invest in this infrastructure. It is not all equal on the table. There are figures, and I am asking the Minister of State for them. It cannot be like before when one project is cherry-picked and another is not. There is a case to be made and I am asking for the data for previous levels of capital investment. The national primary roads into these areas should be invested in.

On the objective of renewing rural Ireland, the current economic model from which we work will continue to work against rural Ireland unless we change it. That is reflected in the national planning framework which has been published. It clearly envisages growth in cities. We recognise that but that is happening everywhere, it is in Ireland, the UK, Europe and around the world. People are drawn to the cities for work. Let us say there are two reasons someone would choose to work in an area, because it is an attractive area and there is work available. Rural Ireland is a fantastic place to live, I live there. There has been massive investment by the Government, including the sports capital grant administered by the Minister of State in his previous role from which we see the finest sports facilities around. We see great community effort and great clean places to live which are aesthetically pleasing. We have schools and empty houses. We have schools that need more pupils or will lose a teacher, yet there is the opposite problem in the cities where they are seriously congested. We must take a holistic look at the problem. The economic model we have where we identify something that is needed in an area is just a short-term response. There is rural decline. Populations have declined in Donegal and Mayo in the last census. It is the young people who have gone to the cities. These people are looking for housing in the cities. They want their children to go to school and cannot get places for them and the list of problems goes on. The challenge is for us to encourage the idea that rural areas are areas to invest in and then there will be more work.

The report refers to rates of return economically and socially. This argument that there will not be critical mass is one I often here from Dublin economists, but there will not be critical mass in rural Ireland because people cannot live on fresh air. It is beautiful but one cannot live on that, especially when one is a young person. We all know about the problems of young people being unemployed and it is the same where the Leas-Chathaoirleach is from. The north-north west is in a difficult situation unless something radical is done. I am glad that my fellow county man, Deputy Michael Ring, has been appointed the new Minister for Rural and Community Development and I do not doubt his intention to get something done, but he cannot do it by himself. There has to be fresh thinking. I agree that we need to see research and evidence but I ask the Minister of State to tell us the historical investment in the region. What is the per capita investment compared with that of the tax take of the region. I believe there is proportionately less investment compared with the taxes paid in the north-north west. We need data on this. I have not been able to get data.

An organisation that has been identified as being in a position to advise the Government on policy is the Western Development Commission. It is on the ground supporting businesses and doing great work but it does not have the wherewithal to come up with its own data, do economic analysis and give a perspective on economics that is not Dublin-centric. That is what is going on. I ask that it be charged with doing this and feeding in information and data such as how much investment the region is getting compared with tax paid, how much capital investment it has enjoyed, and then we can put all this information into the mix.

At the moment, we need this sort of arm. As well as having the Minister and our action plan for rural Ireland, we need an overarching input and a change from the mindset which is prevalent and which I have encountered on panel discussions. It is a mindset that says "sure, we haven't got the population in rural Ireland. What are you doing that for?" and then they all come to the cities. Are we really going to change it or is just tourism? I believe there is great potential, including on the IT and life sciences side. I know the Minister will be familiar with them but there needs to be some further measure or what is happening at the moment will continue, which is migration to the cities and an undermining of rural Ireland.

I thank the Minister of State for being here. The last input was extremely interesting. It outlines what we have received in 100 years of Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael in the regions and the desperate state the regions are in, particularly-----

The Senator might want to check her history. She used the term "100 years".

Well, almost 100 years but we will not split hairs.

I know that some people like to rewrite it but writing it before it exists is a different matter.

The Acting Chairman gets what I mean.

The Acting Chairman is always trying to be helpful. It is very interesting when a Government colleague stands up and tells the Minister of State straight that what the Government is doing is not working, that what it has done previously has not worked, that rural Ireland is left behind and that this capital review needs to do something drastic and needs a new approach. I certainly agree with that. In fact, I think it needs a new Government to deliver it but that is for another day, hopefully, not before too long.

Every single expert who has expressed a view has said that the State is in need of a massive capital investment programme. We are coming from a very low base so the Government should ensure that whatever fiscal space that might exist is not frittered away on tax cuts but put to good long-term use in extra capital spend. Unfortunately, the stated position of those in power is that rather than invest, they think we can spare a good chunk of the fiscal space towards tax cuts.

When the Minister was appointed, he received a brief from Department officials which stated clearly with regard to the capital plan:

Many commentators criticised what they saw as an insufficiently ambitious programme. If the economy grows continuously over the next several years, pressure on economic infrastructure will increase and there may be merit in reviewing these plans. The overall housing supply challenge is certain to lead to demands for increased levels of capital and current expenditure investment in social housing. We would support additional resources for housing and housing related infrastructure.

The same year, the global competitiveness report ranked inadequate supply of infrastructure as the most problematic factor for doing business in Ireland. That was the challenge put before the Minister and the Government but they have not risen to it. The Minister can spin figures all he likes but the fact remains that this Government is putting tax cuts above the long-term investment the country requires. Its policies are precisely the type of short-term thinking that will lead to another mess. Both the Seanad and the Dáil debate Brexit a lot. The one thing that is completely within our control in order to fend off the challenge of Brexit is to invest - that is the one tool we have - yet it is bottom of the list. Long-term economic visions do not win votes. This is the blunt and short-sighted calculation being made by this Government.

The Government's capital investment plan puts capital investment at just 2.16% of GNP for 2018, which is a shockingly low level of capital investment and both reckless and unsustainable. It will also ensure that our capital investment remains one of the lowest in the EU. The Government will spin that this new programme will move us up that list. Well, this is exactly where we need to be anyway; we have a younger demographic profile than many other countries. The lack of ambition in the capital plan programme is a lack of ambition for the country. It is literally putting a cap on how much growth we can achieve.

I welcome the review of the capital programme. Sinn Féin's manifesto represented a substantial plan for the coming years. I accept some more money is going to go into capital but we must remember that the interpretation of the fiscal rules allows for smoothing of some capital spend over four years. That is all the more important in a tight year for fiscal space like this one. When the Minister stands before us in October and announces tax cuts, we must recall that every euro in tax cuts he announces amounts to €4 that could be spent next year on our schools, hospitals or roads. That is the Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil choice and it is the wrong one. The fiscal rules are a bad idea and are now, as Sinn Féin said they would, preventing necessary investment in our country. Has the Minister even raised the need for an exemption for Ireland for at least capital spending over the coming years, including the repayment of the €64 billion that was taken to fund the banks? This should be argued for anyway but especially so in light of Brexit. However, how can we argue for that in Brussels when it sees the Government giving out tax cuts when it could be spending four times that amount on investment?

The Government plans to spend €70 million on flood defences next year increasing to €100 million by 2021. Is this the type of thing that can wait? The pre-fab replacement scheme could be accelerated so that our children are not taught in rundown schools. I could go on. Regional imbalance must be addressed. In the past number of weeks, we saw the example of the regional hospital in Galway and the department where all procedures had to be cancelled because a roof fell in. Anyone who has visited the regional hospital in Galway knows that staff are doing Trojan work but the infrastructure is falling around them and is not fit for purpose. Again, we see the opportunities relating to Ireland West Airport Knock that are lost without proper investment in the airport. Broadband is another example. We can see the jobs and opportunities for the west of Ireland that are lost. Roads are a further example. I know there was an announcement of more LIS funding for roads at the National Ploughing Championships but when one breaks that down, it breaks down to about two roads for every councillor in a 100-mile radius. The extension of the greenways is another example. Capital investment is needed in all these areas to generate jobs and regenerate our rural economy. The negative consequences of the "start-stop" approach to many infrastructure projects are not the way forward - things being announced, re-announced and re-announced. The people in rural Ireland and Ireland as a whole are fed up waiting for vital infrastructure. It should be provided for under this plan.

I welcome the Minister of State to the House. I regard this as a very important and critical debate. We have come out of a period of great difficulty where our country was bankrupt and where we were effectively borrowing to keep the lights on. We have now reached a stage where we are returning to full employment. We must get back to what would be the normal levers of Government, one of those being putting capital projects in place. I have a small bit of housekeeping first. In his speech, the Minister of State said that a new ten-year national plan for 2018 to 2027 will be published before the end of the year. Could he indicate when he expects that to happen? Will it be part of the budgetary process to be announced on budget day? Alternatively, will it be a separate announcement? When will that take place?

I will speak about local issues in the area I represent in Limerick in the limited time I have. People will know of my personal interest in the M20 Limerick to Cork motorway.

(Interruptions).

Senator O'Donnell, without interruption.

All help would be welcomed.

I looked at the submissions made in the context of the mid-term review and a substantial proportion of them referenced the M20 project. Coming from Limerick, the Minister of State will know just how important that road project is in having an Atlantic corridor which links Cork, through Limerick, with Galway as a counterpoint to Dublin. The new Tuam-Gort bypass is being opened today, which is very welcome. We see it as another link. It should be possible to travel from Cork to Limerick in an hour and also from Limerick to Galway in an hour. Therefore, the journey from Cork to Galway should take no longer than two hours. A substantial part of the planning process was completed by November 2011 and preliminary work by Transport Infrastructure Ireland, TII, is ongoing, which will allow the project to advance. I hope that in the new plan to be announced following the mid-term capital review the M20 project will be a priority. The work could be done on a staged basis. In 2011 the preferred route was via Croom, Charleville, Buttevant and Mallow. The section from Limerick to Mallow is key and should be stage one. The M20 project is critical from the point of view of connectivity. It is also critical from a safety perspective because there are fatalities on the N20 far too regularly. If we are to speak meaningfully about the need for balanced regional development, we cannot do so without the M20 being in place.

While the new emergency department in University Hospital Limerick is very welcome, there is a hospital beds capacity issue. When the reconfiguration took place, the emergency departments in Ennis, Nenagh and St. John's hospitals were closed, which meant that 50 beds were taken out of the system. As part of the reconfiguration, a new 138-bed unit was to be built via a public private partnership on the grounds of University Hospital Limerick, but it never came to pass. We have secured funding through the HSE to progress the design phase for a 90-bed acute unit alongside the emergency department. I would like to see that unit progressed under the capital plan. I would also like to see the maternity hospital moved from the existing site to the grounds of University Hospital Limerick.

I would like to see the three projects mentioned - the M20, the 90-bed acute unit in University Hospital Limerick and the relocation of the maternity unit to the site of University Hospital Limerick to improve the cohesiveness of the care provided - included in the new national plan. When is it expected that announcements will be made on the new capital plan? Will they form part of the budget day announcements?

Does Senator Pádraig Ó Céidigh wish to contribute?

I had not planned to do so, but I would be delighted to do so.

I welcome the Minister of State. Tá fáilte roimhe. Labhróidh mé i mBéarla cé go bhfuil mé níos compordaí, b'fhéidir, ag labhairt i nGaeilge.

First, we must look at where we have come from, as Senator Kieran O'Donnell said. We have come from a situation where a few years ago we had a 14.5% unemployment rate. It now stands at around 6%, which represents a very significant improvement. We are, therefore, very close to full employment. It is said an unemployment rate of around 4% or thereabouts represents full employment.

The books are reasonably well balanced again. Therefore, where do we go from here? The economic reports I have read and the economists to whom I listen, although sometimes we should not listen to as many as we do, are urging caution. We, therefore, need to be careful and must be prudent about capital expenditure, to which there are two parts - revenue and capital. During my time as Chairman of the Oireachtas Committee on the Future Funding of Domestic Water Services the big issue was on and off-balance sheet expenditure. I learned an awful lot about the public finances, although I would have known a little about private investment and business. Off-balance sheet expenditure is really important and very significant. If we can create a situation where a lot of our capital expenditure is paid for or supported by off-balance sheet funding, it will support a lot of the capital expenditure about which my colleagues have spoken on hospitals in Galway and the Limerick to Cork and Limerick to Galway roads, projects I strongly support. As capital expenditure is a long-term investment, I urge prudence in that regard.

Another important factor to bear in mind is that EU regulations stipulate the degree of flexibility we have in any budget which is based on income. It is a multiple of the revenue the Exchequer receives. I ask the Minister of State to correct me if I am wrong, but I understand the position in 2018 will be pretty tight from a budgetary perspective. Things will loosen again in 2019 because we will be working with a greater revenue cashflow from the Exchequer's perspective. Again, I caution the Government not to spend money we do not have and not to spend money that will be on-balance sheet. We should try to work off-balance sheet to a proper ratio or degree.

In the context of the mid-term capital review, I live in Spiddal in Connemara. It can take me an hour and a half to travel about five miles from Spiddal to Galway racecourse, from where I can get to the M50 in the same amount of time. The roads in Galway are absolutely killing the people and the local economy. If we had a good hospital, that would be fine, but we cannot get to it on time. A very good friend of mine from Oranmore died recently of a heart attack. If it had happened at 4 p.m. rather than at 4 a.m., it would have taken an hour and a half to get him to the hospital. Access is absolutely critical. I, therefore, urge the Minister of State to look at providing an outer bypass in Galway and to do whatever he can to get that project moving. It would also support Senator Kieran O'Donnell's very well made point about the western corridor to join Cork, Limerick and Galway and, I hope, places further north such as Ballina and Sligo.

I welcome this timely debate on the national capital expenditure plan. We need to debate the issue in the context of where the country is at and from where it has come in recent years. We must acknowledge that there were serious reductions in capital expenditure and infrastructural investment owing to the state of the economy from 2007 until recently. However, I must give the last Government credit for continuing to invest in schools, in building new schools, continuing the prefab replacement scheme and building school extensions all over the country. We have almost eradicated the use of prefabs, although there is still some work to be done in that regard.

In 2015 a new capital plan was announced in which housing was prioritised, an in which I had a role. Over €4 billion was provided for various schemes throughout the country. That sum has been expanded since, with €5.5 billion being provided for housing. It is no good, however, just having the money in place. We need to get building under way. With the restoration of our economic fortunes, the country can once again provide for capital investment. However, as the Minister of State outlined, we need to undertake such investment in a coherent, logistical and transparent way.

I was somewhat bemused to hear a Sinn Féin representative criticise the Government when members of that party speak out of both sides of their mouths. In Northern Ireland Sinn Féin will not take responsibility to govern. In most local authorities the party will not take responsibility for voting on a budget, but its members still look for all services.

Even recently, in the Joint Committee on the Future Funding of Domestic Water Services of which I was a member, where investment is critically needed in water infrastructure, its members did all in their political power to undermine capital investment by the populist stances that they take. That is typical of Sinn Féin.

We in government focus on the positive ways in which the economy can provide for the communities into the future and that is why a new national development plan 2040 is due to be announced shortly. It is vital that the capital plan is linked intrinsically and strongly to that new national development plan 2040 because that will outline the vision for economic growth in this country and it is critical that investment is made in tandem with that.

At present, Dublin is a vortex of economic activity. It is overheating. However, we have cities around the country that are capable of providing for the economy and driving the regions in which they are. The national spatial strategy was a good strategy at the time but it failed miserably. It failed because cities, such as Waterford, the area that I come from, did not have the capital investment infrastructure that it required and that went with the status that it was given. Now we have a unique opportunity to put that right with the new national development plan and the new capital investment plan.

Using the example of the south east and Waterford, where it is envisaged that we want to grow that city to almost double in population terms, it is critical that we invest in essential infrastructure. The north quays in Waterford are similar to a mini-docklands and there is huge potential for the city to grow in that area. There is interest in investing over €300 million of private investment to provide housing, commercial activity, tourism-related activity and a strong retail offering for a city that should be attracting people from around the entire south-east region. This development will require substantial Government investment that can return to the Exchequer solid taxes and income. It will require in the order of €60 million of investment. I have already spoken to the Minister for Finance and Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform, Deputy Donohoe, regarding the critical need for this investment and I am certainly hopeful it will be a strong part of the announcements of the capital plan over the coming months.

Other areas that require investment in the region are regional infrastructure such as University Hospital Waterford, which is a level 4 acute hospital. It is getting a new palliative care unit with a five-storey building that will certainly help in regard to beds but there is a strong need for a €3 million investment in a regional emergency cardiac care service to bring it up to a 24-7 service. I will continue to voice that need for my region here in the national Parliament.

I am not being parochial here. These are all regional needs I am outlining. If we are going to have a strong country, we must have strong regions. We need a technological university for the south east. I am glad to report that WIT and Carlow IT are now working together. For that to progress, it will require capital investment.

Senators spoke about the roads and road safety. That is an area that fell behind considerably during the dark days of the recession. The rural and regional roads need investment. The road between my city and the Minister of State's, the N24 from Limerick to Waterford, is probably the worst national road in the country. I would urge the National Transport Authority and everybody involved in policy making on roads to look at that road with regard to an upgrade. If we must have strong regions and inter-connectivity between the cities, that is one road that needs work.

I could go on forever on areas such as broadband and next generation investments in information technology. Climate change will be a significant challenge for this country and we will need investments in renewable energies. All of the regions can contribute positively in that respect and that is why we need a coherent vision for this country with the plans and the infrastructure, and the expenditure, to make it happen.

I welcome the Minister of State, Deputy O'Donovan. It is my first opportunity to congratulate him in public on his appointment as Minister of State. Knowing Deputy O'Donovan, as I do, over a number of years, he brings great ability and energy, and high principle to the office and I wish him well in it.

Through a lot of hard work, great effort and great courage on the part of the previous Government and this one, we have come to the point that we can have this discussion, that we can have a balanced budget, that we are significantly reducing national debt and that we are now in position where we have credibility from a borrowing perspective to get attractive interest rates, and that we are now in a position to engage strategically in capital investment. I suppose there are a couple of big objectives that we need to achieve through the capital investment. The Minister of State, as a former teacher like myself, will be familiar with long-term and short-term objectives in teaching plans. The biggest long-term objective we have is to maintain sustainable populations in rural Ireland and maintain a balance, to deal with what Senator Coffey aptly describes as the "vortex" that is Dublin at present and to get a level a decentralisation in terms of population and sustainable communities throughout the country. With that in mind, the commitment to road infrastructure and transport infrastructure is a vital one, both in terms of achieving inward investment in rural Ireland and in terms of its development and quality of life, and attractiveness to live there.

In the county that I and the distinguished Acting Chairman, Senator Wilson, come from, we do not have railways. We do not have immediate access to local airports, etc., and we depend on the road infrastructure in a big way. For that reason, the road infrastructure is vital. In that context, I would commend two projects in County Cavan to the Minister of State that are relevant to both Cavan and Monaghan. The first is the east-west link, linking Dundalk to Sligo. That goes through the critical towns of Shercock, Cootehill and Carrickmacross throughout my constituency. That project is so important because we have the large employer, Carton, in Shercock, employing 600 to 800 local people in a place one would not necessarily have food processing where one would not readily attract alternative employment, and Abbott in Cootehill. That east-west link is critical. I commend that project to the Minister of State. It will stand up to any analysis and any objective scrutiny. I would also commend the extension of the M3, with the bypassing of Virginia to Cavan town as a critical piece of infrastructure for that region. I would appeal to the Minister of State to look seriously at those in the context of transport.

The Minister of State has a commitment professionally, as I and virtually all of us in the House have, to the regionalisation of education. Indeed, I note the Acting Chairman is highly involved in that project at home too. We are committed to getting the new third level campus, the post-leaving certificate college, to Cavan. It is committed to in the capital plan. In his response, I would like the Minister of State to restate his public commitment to it. It would mean so much to people. It is a vital, long-awaited project up there. That is a necessary exercise, if we have any genuine commitment to regionalisation and to maintaining sustainable communities outside of Dublin.

I agree with all the points the Minister of State makes in his address around structural reform, planning, procurement and good value for money. That is prudent and right. What people want with their hard-earned success is that it would not be squandered. Of course, I agree with those and I will not labour them, but the Minister of State would be the first to agree that we need inward investment in rural areas. I cannot go about attracting inward investment to, and we cannot have successful trade mission for, a place such as Cavan until one gets the infrastructure. Crucial to that infrastructure are the roadways, the college and, as referenced by Senator Coffey, broadband. Broadband is most crucial. I accept it is a different debate in the sense it is the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment, Deputy Denis Naughten's, specific responsibility, but it is enormously vital.

My colleague, Senator Mulherin, opened with the contention that we have to achieve with this capital plan viable communities around this country, particularly in the disadvantaged areas of the Border region and the mid-west that have suffered hugely. The Border region, in my area, has suffered enormously down the years. We have to right that wrong and correct that imbalance. I appeal to the Minister of State to see that happens. It is a great and exciting opportunity for the Minister of State and for all of us to put something right here, to make it likely that people will want to live in counties such as Cavan and Monaghan and right through the west of Ireland, and that we will get those in the aptly described "vortex" or population centre that is Dublin to choose other centres.

Of course, there must be a match between the capital plan and the spatial strategy into the future. I contend that the projects that I have mentioned will so do.

I welcome the Minister of State. I thank him for his speech that outlined his thoughts and plans.

The regions have been spoken about an awful lot and my colleague, Senator Kieran O'Donnell, referred to the M20, which is very important. I shall return to what Senator Coffey said in terms of regional development. I, too, would like to support the M20 and the connection with Waterford. I know the Government has a big commitment to the area outside of Dublin and job creation. A commitment has been given to create over 60% of jobs, etc., outside Dublin. I agree that the Government must focus on and develop the regions. Senator Coffey is right that there is a big connection between the different cities and towns located in the regions. Limerick is very lucky to have Shannon Airport on its doorstep because many companies have located their businesses in the region thus leading to job creation. Education has also been included and highlighted in the Minister of State's report. We must invest in education in the regions in order to assist businesses to grow. I shall refer to the Minister of State's alma mater. Mary Immaculate College has a library facility for 700 students but in actual fact it has close to 5,000 students attending the college. Therefore, students lose out in terms of access to the library and research facilities.

Recently I visited the Monaleen national school, which comprises of eight classrooms and 16 prefabs. The school has been in the building programme for a long number of years. There must be investment in local schools and colleges. Such investment is an investment in our future and that leads to job creation in the regions.

This morning on the Order of Business I mentioned the overcrowding at University Hospital Limerick. I know that Senator Kieran O'Donnell referred to the matter earlier. I believe that there must be investment in extra beds at both University Hospital Limerick and St. John's Hospital. They are not just hospitals for Limerick city; they are hospitals for the region. University Hospital Limerick has the highest level of overcrowding in the region. The figures have been consistent for quite a while in terms of the highest level in Ireland. For an initiative to work and have a positive effect on the region there must be investment in both hospitals.

I welcome the Minister of State to the House. I also welcome the opportunity to say a few works on the mid-term review of the capital plan 2016-2021. First, I wish to compliment everybody involved in getting this Chamber to its current state when it was opened yesterday. I can remember well two years ago, as Cathaoirleach of the Seanad, when I visited this room. I can assure Members that it was not in the same state that it is in today. The room looked as if a reception had taken place a number of nights beforehand and quite a number of wine and champagne glasses were strewn around the room. In the far corner was the Sam Maguire Cup. I did not think it would hang around the capital ever since. I compliment everybody, including the Ceann Comhairle, and everybody involved in the project.

I shall make a few points about the mid-term review of the capital plan. I am delighted that the Minister of State has given us an overview of where things are at the moment and where we can reach. Every area has a project. Like everybody else, there are quite a number projects in the west and the north west. During the Celtic tiger years the region did not get its fair share of capital spending and, thus, fell very much behind other regions. That fact can be seen quite effectively. The last census shows that a declining population exists in counties Mayo and Donegal. I ask that the Minister of State take a serious look at the population census for 2016. I ask him to take the data into account when allocating funding to projects throughout the country.

I shall name a few projects. Ireland West Airport Knock is central to the prosperity of the region as it is an international airport. I ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport and the Minister for Finance and the Taoiseach to take a close look at the airport as it needs capital investment and hangarage. The airport is a vital piece of infrastructure for the western and north-western region. People from the region can now commute to London on a weekly basis. In fact, people who work in London during the week can fly home and arrive in the western area quicker than if they travelled by car from Dublin. The airport also allows people to travel to the Algarve, Spain and Germany. The airport is a vital infrastructure that allows people who invest in the region, and to move in and out of the region. The airport is also very important from a tourism point of view as tourists from Germany and various parts of Europe can travel to the region.

The N5 and N26 roads were neglected during the Celtic tiger years. I ask that the Minister for Finance and the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport fast forward capital for the N5. All of the planning stages have gone through and the fencing has been completed. The N5 project is ready for completion and ready to go to tender. I ask that the N5 project be placed high on the agenda when deciding terms and projects for the capital plan 2016-2021. There are a number of projects in the western region. In Mayo, in particular, there are the N5, N26 and the Ireland West Airport Knock and I ask that the Minister of State prioritise these projects.

I welcome the Minister of State to the House for this important discussion. I say so not least because, as he said in his speech and rightly so, that we consider the capital plan in the context of individual projects and how best to grow and develop all regions of this country. We must also be mindful that we draw a line beyond the M50 and Red Cow roundabout so that we can ensure that priority is given to the regions, that there is investment and that capital infrastructure takes place.

We all have a list of individual projects that we want to see prioritised and completed. As the Minister of State said in his speech, the Government does not have an infinite amount of money to spend on a wish list. He comes from County Limerick so he will recognise that the Cork-Limerick motorway can act as a catalyst for change and investment in the Cork-Limerick region. It is important that we learn from the debacle that was the decentralisation policy by a past Government. We must ensure that we give autonomy to the regions and that we allow for a strategy that will empower the regions to grow.

I was very much struck by the joint presentation that we received from Cork County Council and Cork City Council about Cork 2050. The presentation recognised and emphasised what the region needs to reach its full potential. Whether one comes from the north, south, east or west it is critical, in whatever decision is made by Government, that there be a process that allows for the country as a whole to benefit. That is why this debate is important. We can all produce a wish list. I could talk about Cork-Limerick, the M28 and the need for a second hospital in Cork. I could list a whole plethora of projects that are important for the Cork area. What is important is that the allocation of money is done in a way that promotes investment, secure jobs and retains jobs.

It would ensure that Ireland, which will be the only English-speaking nation left in the European Union, will be open for business, which it is.

In a recovering economy the key factors, as mentioned by the Minister of State, are transport, education, health and housing. The kernel of what we must do is recognise the need for investment in capital infrastructure such as the pressing and urgent need for housing and the provision of schools, hospitals and roads and balance that against the services people require in their day-to-day lives such as care for the elderly or disabled and the recruitment of more gardaí, nurses or teachers. We must try to balance those needs. Those in Opposition who come out with grandiose plans must recognise that this must be about how the people and the country can benefit. It is not just about making connections locally and internationally but also ensuring an opportunity for the country. The Government and Fine Gael have always focussed on the country and the people. For the five years during which some Members of the Opposition could not decide to cross the road, the Government took decisions to ensure the country recovered and that we are on the cusp of a funding model that will ensure a benefit. The Government has much interaction with the European Investment Bank in terms of the provision of moneys. It is important that we invest in infrastructure.

The situation post-Brexit will be challenging for many parts of the economy. Senator Paddy Burke referenced the issue of air travel. The issue of tourism, for which Minister of State had a very strong and supportive role in his previous Ministry, must be addressed to determine how the regions can counteract Brexit. The southern region has experienced a sharp decline in visitors from the United Kingdom since the Brexit vote although that has been mitigated by direct flights from Cork Airport to Providence which have led to an increase in North American visitors. The balance has to be gotten right for the way forward.

The national planning framework, Ireland 2040, is due to be published soon. It explores how we can plan for the future in the context of expanding cities and counties. Cork city and county local governance structures were discussed during the Order of Business. That needs to be gotten right and resolved in order that we ensure that Cork city and county prosper and develop.

I thank the Minister of State for his attendance. It is important that we get this right and have investment but it is also about people and being able to attract investment and retain jobs.

I thank the Senators who have attended this important debate. One would have imagined there would be a bigger interest, in particular from some Opposition groups. I am very disappointed by the attendance. I do not know if another event is taking place. I was looking forward to contributions from both sides of the House. The Senators who attended made some interesting contributions, much of which I agree with and much of which I do not. One would imagine there is no more important issue than the preparation and planning for the future development of Ireland, the children yet to be born, the roads yet to be driven and the schools yet to be attended. We cannot live in the past but must try to plan for the future. I thank Senators who turned up and showed an interest in such an important issue.

Senator Horkan is correct that a lot of catching up needs to be done. He identified a number of issues and I will not get into the specifics of all those projects as that would not be appropriate because there is a fairly large shopping list from the Seanad. The Senator failed to mention that the State was banjaxed in 2011 and was a borrower of last resort, that the economy had no money and was running on empty and the Government did not know if it would be able to keep the doors of the country open. It needs to be said on the record that the transformation of the Irish economy in a short period of time on the back of the efforts of the Irish people has been enormous. There are commentators who said a second bailout would be needed, that the State would have to go cap in hand to look for it and that all the policies pursued by the Government were wrong.

One political party opposed everything the Government did during the previous Dáil just for the sake of it. Its deputy leader said of its leader that anyone could fumble a figure. It was not the first time that Deputy Adams fumbled a figure in the hundreds of millions. I take particular issue with Sinn Féin's record on economic policy and where they were and are vis-à-vis the economic collapse. First, it has absented itself from any decision making on the island of Ireland and, secondly, it has decided to oppose for opposition's sake anything done by either the previous Fianna Fáil or Fine Gael-Labour Governments or the current Fine Gael-Independent minority Government supported by Fianna Fáil. If everything we did was wrong, we would not be in the position four years later of having a balanced budget and being able to talk about fiscal spending space. If we did as Deputy Adams suggested and told the European Union to take its money and go, and one must remember Sinn Féin has opposed every EU treaty since 1973 for the sake of it, where would we be? Where would we now be if we had taken the advice of Sinn Féin in 2011? We would be on a one-way ticket to the stone age and would not have to worry about class sizes, roads or the future development of the hospital network. The country would be akin to a modern-day basket case. Rather than saying everything the Government did was wrong or coming forward, as it did last year, with proposals that would have meant that every single person who avails of a tax credit they pay into a pension would see a cut of €800 in his or her annual take-home pay, it would be nice to see costed proposals from a party that just opposes everything.

That is the type of make-it-up-as-you-go along economics of which I am tired. I admire Opposition politicians such as Senators Ó Céidigh and Horkan who make proposals based on circumstances that bear some resemblance to the economic reality of the State. However, that is not the case for a party that continues to have no regard to either the past or the present in relation to where the economy was, where it went or the policies pursued by successive Governments to do what we believed was right and resulted in us being on a trajectory to virtual full employment from an unemployment rate of 16%. We are on the way to a balanced economic budget and do not need to worry about a lender of last resort. We are on the way to being able to look after our citizens as any sovereign government should without going cap in hand to anybody. Where would we be if we followed the alternative? All Members know where we would be.

Parts of Mayo have an unemployment rate of 31%.

I did not interrupt the Senator. This is proof of what I said. The truth hurts.

The Minister of State should deal with the 31% unemployment rate.

We will shout them down. During the summer some councillors went on the national airwaves to identify how they were treated by party members who have very little regard for differences of opinion, more of which has been seen here today. I did not shout down the Senator.

Speakers should stick to the subject. The Minister of State to conclude.

I am doing so. Many worthy projects were identified by Senators, some of which are in my own region. The projects include the M29, Limerick Regional Hospital, Ireland West Airport Knock, the Luas cross-city which will soon be opened and the Newlands Cross flyover which was built at a time of economic collapse. All of those things can only be done if there are the building blocks of a sound economy. One cannot have such building blocks if one makes it up as one goes along in some sort of Alice in Wonderland-type fairy tale. He might not be great at the figures. We know he is not great at the figures and he should stay away from them. It is no wonder that a party that can try and suggest that the country can somehow just decide it is going to run around on empty, tell the EU, IMF and the troika to get out, vote against every EU treaty and pretend it is going to be all right on the night does not want to be in government in Northern Ireland, take its seats in Westminster, be in government in this jurisdiction nor be in power in any local authority in the country because that would involve making a decision.

The first decision Sinn Féin had to make in the Northern Ireland Executive was to send the devolved powers with regard to social welfare back to Westminster because it involved making a tough decision that might make it unpopular. We have done the right thing by this country since 1922 and we will continue to do so. The main Opposition party has, by and large, always done what it believes is right. We might disagree with it politically, as we might with the Labour Party, the Green Party and the Independents who come from a variety of backgrounds, but I will not sit here and listen to this type of thing we must also listen to in the other House, where a Senator can stand up and say it is time we rise to the challenge. Why is her party not rising to the challenge?

Is that a direct question?

Where is Sinn Féin when it comes to taking responsibility for the democratic mandate given in another part of this country?

I will not sit here and listen to this rant.

It is time all politicians rose to the challenge.

That is why we made a fully costed pre-budget submission.

We all know the fully costed versions that have been brought into this House and the other House.

Through the Chair.

It is time Members spoke honestly to the people in this country. We cannot turn on some type of magic printing press for money or dip into the wishing well.

What about the €13 billion to Apple and the €340 million to vulture funds?

How can any party suggest the people who get up in the morning do not deserve some tax break or relief on their income? They are the people who pay for everything, and without the 2 million people at work in this country where would we be? We would be in the same economic basket case I referred to earlier had we followed the economic policies of the party that told the EU to hump off and that wanted us to be out of the EU at every single referendum held. This is the reality.

You are obviously rattled. Get back in your pram.

It is nice to see people arriving. I welcome the opportunity to listen to the constructive comments of Senators who have projects all over the country. Every one of them will be taken into consideration.

Except those of Sinn Féin.

To answer Senator O'Donnell, it will be published in December.

The Minister of State's party colleague told him he made an absolute mess.

Oh dear, I turn my back and a row breaks out.

Before I move on, I acknowledge the presence in the House of former Senator, Ms Mary Jackman, and her husband Nick. I had the pleasure of serving with her and we shared a corridor in the Engineering Block. She is very welcome and I hope she enjoys her visit. We will suspend until 3.30 p.m. Everyone needs to draw their breath.

Sitting suspended at 3.25 p.m. and resumed at 3.30 p.m.
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