Timmy Dooley (Clare, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the two delegations and thank them for the presentation. As somebody who represents a constituency served by the western rail corridor, I have an affinity with the work done by West-on-Track. The group is voluntary and has done immense work to date. It is now rightly considering how it should move on based on the McCann report and how the next phase can be entered. I will make a couple of comments and then ask a couple of questions.

As an absolute believer in balanced regional development, I believe absolutely that we need much better infrastructure, including road and rail infrastructure, along the western seaboard. There has been much talk about the Atlantic corridor and the Wild Atlantic Way, which is a recurring theme. There was the Atlantic Connectivity Alliance and an Atlantic cluster associated with the development of a critical mass of companies funded from outside the State by way of foreign direct investment. I refer to the cluster between Galway and Shannon and to creating, for the first time in a long time, a counter-pole to the east coast. With regard to investment in infrastructure, the west is playing catch-up with the east coast every day. As congestion arises, one considers the next phase and the one thereafter, and one is just pushing the issue down the road. There is a real opportunity to do something on the west coast because congestion is not an issue. It is a question of planning for the future and targeting investment so people have an opportunity to live in a less cluttered and clustered way. The only way to achieve the desired demographic shift is to invest heavily in infrastructure, including road, rail and educational infrastructure. This provides the foundation for the investment community, which invests for profit. Investors will locate here if the services are in place. It is a chicken-and-egg scenario. What I describe will not happen unless the State makes the necessary investment. The delegates continue to make that case.

Reference was made to Apple locating in Athenry. Is the station relatively close to the site? If not, it is remiss of the promoters of the venture. The site should be relatively close. Unless it is within walking distance, there will be no benefit.

Perhaps the delegates have some of the numbers I desire. If not, perhaps they can revert to us. I am cognisant of the fact that West-on-Track is a voluntary group. In conjunction with the committee members or others, the delegates will have to ensure a more complete and costed approach. The taxpayer wants to know the long-term implications of any investment that takes place. While it may be fantastic to get the track for €35 million and excellent to reduce track usage to European levels, we are caught if Iarnród Éireann says it is already in a very difficult financial position and must keep coming back to the State looking for money. Mr. David Franks stated recently that he needs approximately €100 million per annum rather than €30 million to carry out the track maintenance that has to be done. We must examine the recurring input by the State. We should not be frightened about it and we should be up front in saying what we need if we are to support the policy of balanced regional development. It is not about opening rail lines for the sake of it, or having a rail line between Claremorris and Sligo or to Waterford; it is about how we fund infrastructure to have balanced regional development. We will need more figures so we can make the case and so the taxpayer will know what will be required annually from the State if there is to be such development. Let the carbon considerations come into play in making the case. We should be up front about it. I am not suggesting that the delegates are not but that there is work that needs to be done. Perhaps the committee can help in that regard. I congratulate the delegates.