Michael Ring (Mayo, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

The Minister, Deputy Humphreys, is working with local authorities on broadband. The Minister, Deputy Naughten, has responsibility for it, but the Minister, Deputy Humphreys, is working with the local authorities and I am supporting her to ensure that when broadband is ready to roll out the local authorities will have their job done.

The Deputy asked me a specific question on what it would cost. He and I know that even the Minister for Finance could not cost what is needed. I will give the Deputy something that is there already with regard to funding for regional development. A key support in the region is the European Regional Development Fund, which has €409 million. It is monitored by the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform. There are also two separate regional operational programmes managed by the Southern Regional Assembly and the Northern and Western Regional Assembly. European money is going into the region. We need further State funding. We need to identify what we want. We need broadband. In certain areas we need the continuation of major road works. I was in Ennis on Sunday and it is great to see the bypass, which will connect Clare to Galway and continue almost into Mayo. We need further investment and money to put in place the infrastructure. If we expect businesses to come to the western region, if they are to compete with Dublin we need to have the infrastructure.

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