Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

We need to ensure we have investment and job creation in all regions of the country, including the west and north west. The Senator will know many of those analyses are based on GDP, which can be very distorting in Ireland. The presence of just one or two very large companies in Cork makes the south west one of the wealthiest regions in the State but is it really? The same thing can apply in Dublin, so it is often the case in Ireland.

As the Senator will be aware, the west of Ireland has the lowest unemployment rate in Ireland at the moment and we have seen a very big investment in Galway, in particular, in recent years. I absolutely agree that we need to invest more in the region, which includes the Atlantic Technological University, as mentioned by the Senator, the University of Galway, TUS and there must be investment in infrastructure. The Senator is a strong supporter of the Galway bypass, the outer or inner ring road or whatever it is called now. I, too, am a strong supporter of the project as it is a crucial for freeing up the city. We should never forget the value, for example, of Knock in County Mayo. We need to ensure that we invest, and national broadband is part of all and we have the regional enterprise plan, which we will fund.