Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

No, they will not be started in a decade. Perhaps they will, but I do not know. Can the Taoiseach be specific? If he can be specific about ten years of promises when launching the NDP, can he now be specific about the huge hole in the NDP which the overspend represents? The fact that the single largest project impacted by the cuts this year is the A5 has caused anger and concern, not just in the north east but for everyone who knows how important that road is to relations on this island. As with the Narrow Water bridge, people are concerned that we are witnessing another case of Dublin backing off engagement with North-South infrastructure. It was taken for granted even during the worst years of the recession that we would get those done. The Government is blaming the lack of a Northern Ireland Assembly and Executive for that, but we require more detail about it.

Finally, I wish to raise the delayed HPV vaccine test. Forgive me for saying this, but one gets a sense from the Government that announcements and commitments are made glibly or very shallowly. For example, it was announced with great fanfare that we would have this test last September. That did not happen and then we were told it would be in January. Today we are told by health officials that they cannot give a date. They blame the backlog created last April as a result of the Minister's decision on the smear tests. There is now a backlog of approximately 90,000 and that is their priority. As a result, they cannot focus on the HPV. Indeed, the Taoiseach said this morning that a great deal of pre-tendering work is still to be done. How did the promise get made? When this broke out in April or May last, how could anybody say that the new test would be available by September? Now it appears that it cannot be introduced for 2019. People should be forgiven for not attaching credibility to anything that is said or committed to by the Government. We must have a more detailed timeline in terms of the HPV vaccine.

The Taoiseach also acknowledged this morning that under pressure he made decisions from the heart rather than the head. My argument is that the decisions were perhaps political knee-jerk responses to an unfolding crisis. There are lessons to be learned from the series of promises and announcements that were made and that never had a chance of realisation. It is no way to respond to a crisis. The knee-jerk reaction that occurred has now created damage and delay for projects that are desirable and should be a priority.

See this speech in context