Ollie Crowe (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

Okay. The Tánaiste will be aware the Commission downgraded the north-west region, which includes Galway, Mayo, Roscommon, Sligo, Leitrim, Donegal and Monaghan, to a "lagging region" last week. It had previously been demoted from "developed" to "a region in transition" in 2019. One would hope the Atlantic Technological University, ATU, now in its first year, will make an impact across the region by enhancing educational capacity. The region will also receive additional funding but clearly this is still very concerning. I ask the Tánaiste to comment on the demotion and the greater Government focus that is required to address it.