Mr. Ian Talbot:

As the Deputy can imagine, we get many demands from our network for their local projects. We are very focused on the macro level, if you like. During the 2008-2012 crisis and beyond, we saw that Government stripped capital investment to the core. We are now suffering for that lack of that capital investment then, and in particular, areas no less than housing. We did not build much in the way of housing. We were virtually building nothing but stand-alone housing during much of that period. We are calling for investment to carry on regardless. We need to keep investing in the economy. That is a very strong message for us. It is not just about things like the Deputy mentioned, such as the rail projects, which we believe are vitally important. Of course, the longer we leave things, the harder it is to get them done. There is much controversy now, for example, with the Galway ring road and what the alternatives in Galway might need to be. In addition, we have to look at things such as wind farms. We are concerned about the planning environment, for example, to unlock the huge potential for offshore wind in this country and create fabulous infrastructure that it is to be hoped will give us energy security, cheaper energy and keep the economy and consumers going. We have to keep going with infrastructure investment no matter what the cycle is and things like taxes and so on. We have to keep investing.

On ageing and wellness, we are certainly the same as IBEC in that we are encouraging our members to consider not only the likes of the physical health of the workforce but also their mental health. These matters are very important.

Sports facilities probably suffered during the last crisis. It is great to see the Government investing in them now around the country. We need to get people out. Covid has been good for getting people to engage in walking and other such activities. Some good came of it. It is important to bear ageing in mind. We have listened with great interest to the debate on the pension age, considering that people are living longer. Such issues are very topical. Employers cannot solve these problems on their own, but we can do the best for the workforce.