Maurice Quinlivan (Limerick City, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

This order, as the Minister will know, is not the most exciting matter we will speak about during this term but it is nonetheless quite an important piece of housekeeping that we, as a Parliament, need to complete. It is a technical motion to ensure that unspent capital is carried over from 2020 to 2021. The amount of money we are discussing are not insignificant, however, standing at more than €709 million. It is important, therefore, that we give this the level of consideration that it deserves.

The pandemic and associated restrictions have put a pause on some capital projects. There are several, however, that I would like to refer to briefly. These are projects in my home constituency that need to be completed as a matter of urgency. The Minister will have heard me raising some of these over the past number of years and I wish to raise them again today and state that capital programmes need to be done.

There is a road in my constituency called the Coonagh to Knockalisheen road and the Minister is probably tired of me talking about this. This is a critical piece of infrastructure in the regeneration programme for the city of Limerick, not just for the north side of the city but for the whole city, particularly the Moyross area and the area around Caherdavin and south-east Clare. At my request and that of other Deputies, I understand that the Taoiseach met with the Minister, Deputy Ryan, last week to talk about this road. Unfortunately, on Monday on local radio a Green Party Deputy spoke about how the Government was looking to deliver two thirds of this road.

That is actually bonkers. The only way to describe this is as a crackpot decision. An Bord Pleanála suggested that the plan being discussed by the Green Party would not be feasible, would not get planning permission and would end up with Moyross becoming not just the cul-de-sac that it is now, but a rat-run which would increase traffic. I am pleading that the Coonagh to Knockalisheen road is put back on the agenda. It is partially built and €70 million has been poured into it already. The contract is there ready and is sitting on the desk of the Minister, Deputy Ryan, who is in ideological opposition to signing this contract tender. The company which has been awarded the tender is ready to start in the morning. I appeal to the Minister to speak to the Minister, Deputy Ryan, who should not delay this. The communities are frustrated and outraged. This critical piece of infrastructure needs to be delivered as this is not just a simple road.#

The other issue I raise is University Hospital Limerick. We have a consistent problem there with overcrowding. It is the most overcrowded hospital in the State. There is a plan there to develop a 96-bed unit. I would very much appreciate it if the Minister could keep this project on the radar and that it is expedited as fast as possible. Unfortunately, the last three days have seen an average of 50 people a day on trolleys, which is the highest in the State by a country mile. In January of this year we had 949 people lingering on trolleys in University Hospital Limerick, which is totally outrageous and needs to be looked at. We opened a 60-bed modular unit there recently and, unfortunately, it did not have the impact that we had anticipated. There is a plan for a 96-bed unit that needs to be expedited as fast as possible.

The third issue I wish to raise is the flood defences. This week marks the seventh anniversary of the devastating flood where Limerick City was very badly affected, particularly the King’s Island and St Mary’s Park areas. Seven years later we do not have the flood defences built or put in place and very little has been done. I urge that this capital project and that those flood defences be progressed and put in as quickly as possible. This is an older community where people are very stressed and get very worried when the tide a higher and the rain is like we have seen in the last number of days.

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