Michael Fitzmaurice (Roscommon-Galway, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I have no doubt about the likes of the Minister of State's commitment. The bottom line, and Mr. Paddy McGuinness would say the same thing, is that there are plans, reviews, task forces and everything one could dream of in the programme for Government, but actions speak louder than words. It is nearly a year since this Government was formed. The reality is that the TEN-T funding is the one thing the previous Government took out of funding for the west of Ireland. That is crucial for the west and the likes of the western arc. The Minister of State spoke about an Atlantic economic corridor and that is a good thing. I know the Minister of State cannot do it on his own and I am not having a go at him. The bottom line is that we have a Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport who does not seem to know where the west of Ireland is located. Roads are required, as the Minister of State knows, down to his own town of Castlebar and on to Westport. If I leave Mullingar and there is a tractor in front of me, it is all over for me. Where is the funding for the road to Sligo? People in Donegal deserve a life. Actions speak louder than words. Instead of that, there are Departments trying to downgrade the likes of Galway port. When that is happening, we see this frustration that comes with it.

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