Imelda Munster (Louth, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

The Fianna Fáil Deputies are tetchy. The Government has made an absolute mess of TEN-T core network funding. The western arc must be included. At the moment only Dublin to Cork, Dublin to Belfast and Dublin to Limerick are included. This means that 80% of TEN-T funding is automatically excluded from the west. Consultation with regional authorities in the west has been non-existent.

I also call on the Government to make better use of this funding stream. In 2017, the State made just one application for funding to extend the capacity of Shannon Foynes Port Company, which received 20% funding. Other countries are making much better use of this option. For example, Sweden made 21 applications and it does not face the challenges we have, including our infrastructural deficit, the fact that Ireland is an island and the massive implications Brexit will have for us compared to any other state. The importance of making those applications should be highlighted.

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