Peter Burke (Longford-Westmeath, Fine Gael)
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I thank the Senator and assure her she will have my support. For the people she represents it is an important area in regional Ireland. It is good to see the IDA has strongly turned the dial so that 54% of all investments are now in regional Ireland. It is important that continues.

The Senator rightly pointed out the importance of broadband. We now have broadband speeds in the most rural part of the country that are faster than in the heart of Manhattan in New York. That is a bold statement for a small, open, island economy like Ireland to make. We are continuing to grow that infrastructure.

The Senator rightly referred to Athlone and Ballinasloe in terms of the investment needed and happening. In Athlone there are DPD, Sidero and Novo Nordisk. So many good companies are operating and growing there over the past years. As a regional growth centre designated under the national planning framework, NPF, the benefits from that are wider in the regions. We need to continue the investment.

The Senator also pointed out the capital plan, under which there will be flood relief plans in Athlone, improved infrastructure like the greenway and the bridge to County Roscommon, on which she will absolutely welcome further progress. That is very important. There is a €100 million wastewater relief scheme in the town to assist it to grow and attract more investment. It is to have that necessary infrastructure which is vital to a regional growth centre like Athlone. We are continuing to work with the State agencies on that regional balance. The Senator can also see, in the context of Enterprise Ireland, that significant growth in business in regional Ireland is important and it is important to keep that pace.

It is good to hear feedback about our energy efficiency grant. That will be live from next week. Applications can come in under the 25% and €10,000 capital spend. It was obviously announced as part of the SME package. It had to get final approval from the Department of Public Expenditure, NDP Delivery and Reform and the Enterprise Ireland board. We have already advised the LEOs to take applications on it, by the way. We can now work to ensure businesses can get the benefit of that and taking less money from businesses every month for their utilities. It is about leaving money with businesses as opposed to taking it away from them. Small grants like that can mean a lot, be it for LED lighting in kitchens and refrigeration and all of those areas you can get investment in by putting up between 20% and 25% priming finance. It is important that we continue on that trajectory. I am happy to work with the Senator across all of those areas.

The issue the Senator raised about housing is important. We are funding a research unit in NUIG for €5 million looking at modern methods of construction. That will be important as we continue to build at scale and our housing targets increase. It is incredible to note that, primarily due to the waiver, more than 50,000 units have commenced since 1 January. That is significant evidence that, as a country, we are tackling the housing problem. People do not have to take the Government's word anymore. Anyone who drives around their community can see significant sites around the country where builders are on-site and houses are being delivered. We can say that to executives of multinationals when we are trying to win investment and bring it back to Ireland.

We are tackling the housing crisis. People should not judge us; they should look at the evidence. We can see it before our eyes. The affordable schemes and cost rental are ramping up to ensure we are meeting this demand, and we will build more than 35,000 new homes this year. More than 350 homes are delivered into the marketplace every working day. There are 500 first-time buyers getting the keys to their new homes every week. It is important that we continue on that trajectory because it is an important component of Ireland's value proposition as well as energy security and our talent, which the Senator rightly mentioned with regard to our third level institutions. Approximately 8% of Ireland's graduates are in the ICT sector. That enables us to be the second largest exporter of ICT services worldwide. That is also our value proposition as a country, because our primary resource is our people. The better and more highly skilled workers we have in our country, the better a value proposition we can offer globally.

The Senator is right on all those points. I look forward to working with her and visiting her in the days and months ahead.