Willie O'Dea (Limerick East, Fianna Fail)

It will not be made today but it is due shortly. Significant work is also being done behind the scenes on the industrial park.

The globalisation fund was negotiated with the European Commission by the Government, not by Alan Kelly, MEP, or any other MEP. The Minister of State, Deputy Dara Calleary, will visit Limerick on Monday to explain how the process will work in practice. Everyone in the mid west is welcome to attend the meeting, which I also hope to attend.

The Government also put in place the regeneration process and has spent a substantial amount on regeneration. While much remains to be achieved, progress has been made in terms of stability in the areas in question. For example, one of the primary recommendations of the regeneration report was to provide an additional 100 gardaí in the areas in question. This recommendation has been implemented.

As I stated, a significant amount of money has been spent, although I am not entirely satisfied it has been spent to best effect. I am reliably informed that substantial private investment is available and investors are interested in becoming involved in the regeneration programme. We need to set a target in the near future for attracting this investment. With this objective in mind, I have called a meeting with all the principal parties for next Tuesday. I await the outcome of the meeting with interest because there is significant potential for employment creation if the regeneration proceeds with an infusion of private capital.

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