Phil Hogan (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fine Gael)

I am totally in agreement with the Deputy on that point. I will be visiting Limerick in mid-January to review what is happening there. We are moving towards a position where the regeneration programme for Limerick city will be under the remit of a new entity - not the city council but a unified authority - in order to drive the programme forward and secure more progress in return for the significant investment that continues to be made.

We are interested in pursuing PPP projects. Anywhere we can secure private funding, in conjunction with public moneys, in order to fast-track a project, we will be delighted to do so. However, I understand private investors are finding it difficult to secure funding from financial institutions for that purpose.

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