Joe Neville (Kildare North, Fine Gael)

Mr. Spratt raised points about EV range fear and the use of petrol and diesel. When travelling to any of our areas, such as Ireland's Ancient East or the Wild Atlantic Way, it goes back to the infrastructure question. We would need to have totally different infrastructure in place if that were the case. We might clarify that and come back to it. It might be something that needs to be dealt with.

I also have the good fortune to be on the infrastructure committee. Yesterday, we met a number of the large builders in Ireland - the significant construction companies. One of the first questions they were asked was whether they have the scale and size to deliver the required infrastructure under the development plans. We often hear it said - I will not say it is a “trope” - that we need a certain number of extra construction workers, but they all say they have them. We can develop and build in Ireland for the next number of years if we know what we need to build in Ireland. The companies tend to outsource a significant amount of work abroad, and they go to the UK and Scandinavia, because they cannot be sure they are going to get the construction work in Ireland. They also said that they have put a significant amount of money upfront for schemes that may or may not come about because, for example, they go to tender and the scheme gets pulled.

I am conscious that we are putting a plan in place for the next five years for a significant amount of infrastructure development. Obviously, transport will be a key part of that. Will we see multi-annual funding in place? I asked the construction companies to say what terms they would be looking at, and they said that, over five years, they would look at five-year terms. Will we see the announced plans and proposals for individual locations? The list will be coming out soon, will it not?