Damien English (Meath West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I will try to shorten my answers. I might bring in Mr. Niall Cussen on the planning and transport around Galway because he is familiar with and is working closely with it, and has been corresponding with the Deputy on it as well. We have visited Galway on this plan as well and we have held local consultation there. We met the local authorities, both city and county. I have not met the chamber of commerce directly but I have read its submission.

We made reference in this plan to the importance of investing in the outer ring-road in Galway. I acknowledge the complications around that from a planning point of view. It has taken a long time merely to plan but we need to push on and achieve that as well. Also, we talk about improving access and the sustainable transport links. There is a very good plan on paper for Galway and if we invested in that plan, it would solve it. It makes the case to win that investment for the city.

We would recognise that Galway city is crucial to the development of the western region. One will grow the surrounding regions if one has a top-class city, like Galway, competing at an international level, which it does for med-tech. It is a major hub for med-tech. That it putting the city on the map but it is also bringing investment into the region and giving people a reason to live close by. That is what we are trying to achieve here. We envisage investment in our cities to grow them and increase their population. There are major housing issues in Galway which we have to work on as well. We must have some real long-term thinking there which we are trying to drive.

Deputy Hildegarde Naughton mentioned the hospitals. The Department of Health, under the Minister, Deputy Harris, has commissioned a study looking at the use of its hospitals and their capacity, and recognising that there is a requirement for more beds and more investment in hospitals. It is making those choice as to where the investment will be made. We want to be able to track that and allow for their thinking in this plan. That is why all the agencies are around the table.

It is also about looking 20 to 25 years ahead and seeing where we need hospitals. Of course, Galway is a regional centre, but it is about making choices around what health services are in other towns to support Galway and it comes down to encouraging this regional thinking and support as well. We will do that.

We recognise that in the years ahead there will be over 1.3 million people over 65 living in the country. Those will include some of us here. We must plan for and recognise that, and not only pay lip-service to it but put in place proper long-term planning to give people the choice of where they will be able to access services and of where they want to live, but also to develop life-long communities so that one has a choice to live within the one community. At present, sometimes one's only choice is to move out of one's community if one needs accommodation for an older person. That is not sustainable and it is not what we are trying to achieve. We want to be able to plan for that in this as well. The community support health care needs are all being talked about within the plan but the delivery of that involves bringing the agencies together under this plan through the other local plans as well. We are trying to achieve that.

Mr. Cussen will speak on land use.