Rose Conway-Walsh (Mayo, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Cathaoirleach for the opportunity to speak. I welcome my Mayo colleagues and also Mr. Kenny. I do not believe we are here to second guess the mandate that has been given to the councillors on Mayo County Council, particularly with regard to the western rail corridor. It means an awful lot to the people of County Mayo and has done for many years now. I hear what the witnesses are saying and I am pleased they have said they can deliver rail services and support the full western rail corridor. That is what we are looking at here. We can see the Wild Atlantic Way and the benefits it has brought along the western seaboard. We need this infrastructure to do that. I hear what the witnesses are saying that the railway should be protected and reserved for use for rail. Obviously a greenway can be developed alongside that. Everyone in Mayo would support that with a greenway being developed alongside it.

We are here in the context of legislation going though these Houses at the moment for the strategic investment funds; funds where we put away billions of euro. Our argument is that absolutely we should do that with our windfall taxes but we have to rebalance the regions as well. This is a vital piece of infrastructure that can do so. The funding is there to be able to do it. Notwithstanding the national railway review, it is a Government decision on where to allocate resources. If there was to be a new Government in place tomorrow morning that was to decide, given considerations of climate change, connectivity and the development of the west and a rebalance of everything, that investment would be put into the full of the western rail corridor, then I understand that could be done. Will Mr. Kenny tell me if I am reading this right? If the resources were to be allocated, is there another impediment that would stop the railway being done?