Michael McGrath (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I very much take that view, because I think investment such as that serves two purposes. First, those works are needed anyway. The retrofitting of social housing is something that needs done and I know that the Minister for Transport, Deputy Ryan, and the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage, Deputy O'Brien, have been engaging on that issue, and it is something that we are looking at closely in the context of budget 2021. Also, such works provide employment opportunities for our economy, and that is a significant advantage. Some great work has been done around the country in the active travel area, and the additional funding that was provided to the Minister in the Department of Transport in July, is being very well spent. We will see much more of that, because it is great for communities to see improvements in local infrastructure that make it safer for people to get out walking and cycling. We are working on further initiatives in that space, but what we have done through the July stimulus, and the spending of that at a local level, has made a real difference and has provided jobs at a time when they are badly needed.