Niall Collins (Limerick County, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I will speak in favour of the motion that has been tabled by my colleague, Deputy Troy, as our transport spokesperson, outlining the glaring gaps in the infrastructure in our capital and the rest of our country. Naturally, I am concerned about my region, the mid-west and Limerick in particular. There is no doubt our transport infrastructure system is creaking at the seams and is not fit for purpose. We have had almost a decade of underinvestment. It has been accentuated by population growth and by the economy growing. The Government, on the Minister's watch, has failed to produce any real plan to deal with this comprehensively. The gaps are harming Ireland's economic growth, the economic growth of my constituency and of the region I represent. It is harming people's quality of life. It is also preventing our rural towns and rural areas from achieving their fullest potential. We need to have a plan as soon as possible and a plan that will be delivered in a real and meaningful way with funding. On top of all of this, we have Brexit.

In the time available, I will refer to the Shannon Foynes Port Company which is headquartered in my constituency in the town of Foynes but which also operates out of Limerick city. It is charged with the handling of cargo and freight up and down the Shannon Estuary. The Minister should know it has plans to develop new business and new shipping routes by using unitised and container traffic and developing new routes directly to the UK. I ask the Minister to take every opportunity to support it. The justification for trying to develop it is Brexit but also the fact that Dublin - including its port - is completely gridlocked with congestion on many levels. At the Shannon Foynes Port Company headquarters in Foynes, there is ample opportunity to expand to meet the plan it is projecting and also to accommodate the logistical and customs issues. To achieve that plan, we have to be able to link to the motorway network. The proposed Limerick to Foynes motorway is slipping down the timescale for delivery. I ask the Minister to take a keen interest in delivering that motorway proposal. It is about to go to planning. All the boxes seem to have been ticked by the road design office people.

The Minister will also be aware the proposed liquefied natural gas, LNG, facility at Ballylongford in Kerry is coming back on the radar again. It will provide many opportunities for energy security, business and commerce, and economic investment in the region. Will the Minister come forward with a realistic plan to deal with transport infrastructure in Limerick, the mid west and across the country?

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