Tom Fleming (Kerry South, Independent)

Road projects which are advanced regarding planning and land acquisition and which are shovel-ready will have to be prioritised. They are vital to completing the jigsaw required to enable our economy to rise from its currently depressed state. Apart from jobs related to the transport and communications aspects, jobs generated in the construction of road network projects were never more wanted. I ask the Cabinet to reconsider and re-evaluate the investment programme.

In Kerry, the Killarney-Farranfore primary route project has been shelved. The corridor for the new road has been mapped and negotiations with landowners have practically been finalised. There has been considerable expenditure of public money on these exercises. Kerry has the most successful regional airport in the country, namely, Kerry Airport in Farranfore. Kerry is the home of the Irish tourism product. The road in question is essential to enable Kerry to get back on its feet and exploit its great potential. Access to the county and within the county is very badly needed. Access routes would make the county more attractive to potential investors, including those interested in foreign direct investment. At present, Kerry is at a huge disadvantage in this regard. The main approach from Cork, through Macroom, to the Kerry county boundary, is very seriously deficient. This is a major drawback for the economy of the south west and it militates against the economic development of County Kerry. I urge the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport to make progress on this vital artery, keep it on the programme and expedite the new road construction project.

With regard to the Dublin side and the west, the Adare-Abbeyfeale approach has sections that need to be completed. These sections are relatively short and it is not beyond the means of the Exchequer to complete them. The approval of these road projects would give a much-needed stimulus at construction stage and would generate activity that would create thousands of jobs.

I commend the National Roads Authority on its national road developments, over the past ten years in particular. Journey times have reduced drastically, which is of considerable benefit to the domestic and commercial commuter. Public private partnerships have been successful, and the access roads to Kerry should be considered seriously for completion under such partnerships.

I welcome the statement on next-generation broadband and its inclusion as a priority. I hope its roll-out will be country-wide and proceed at an early date. Two private projects, in Dublin and Wexford, are already up and running. Recently, by means of a priority question, I urged the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources, Deputy Rabbitte, to extend private projects to take in Kerry because it is the hub of tourism. It attracts a considerable number of visitors every year. There are some black spots in the county and we need to increase broadband speed and bandwidth.

Currently Kerry's infrastructure in this area is far inferior to what is required for businesses. Consider the requirements for large events and conferences, for instance. The infrastructural inferiority was illustrated twice over the past two years during the Irish Open. Only for the on-the-ground expertise of our technicians, the foreign media would have been inconvenienced seriously when reporting this major event.

I welcome many of the developments with regard to the National Children's Hospital and I urge the Government to give priority to education and the creation of jobs. I commend the Government on what it has done for the tourism product this year, for instance.

With regard to agriculture, the report gives a figure of 170,000 workers, but we were told by the IFA today that 300,000 are engaged in the agriculture and food industry.

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