Jerry Cowley (Mayo, Independent)

The Minister spoke of the super regions. What is the point of marketing a super region such as the west if it is not possible to access that super region? I refer in particular to the fact that we have an airport, Ireland West Airport, at Knock which is underdeveloped owing to a lack of funding. Although the Minister, Deputy O'Donoghue, is not Minister for Transport, he has a collective Cabinet responsibility. How can he promote the area when there is no proper access, in other words, when 29 million people visit the east coast and the south whereas only 500,000 people visit the west coast and six million people visit the north of Ireland? That reveals a regional imbalance. There is the national spatial strategy. There is a national development plan which shows a gross underspend on transport, in particular, and on infrastructure right across the board. How can the Minister rationalise a situation where he is flogging a dead horse by trying to promote a region to which there is no proper access?

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