Richard O'Donoghue (Limerick County, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I will start by giving two statements. First, I welcome the road in Limerick. It was a wise decision and I commend the Minister on that.

The Government has committed to a 7% average reduction in overall greenhouse emissions with a target of zero emissions by 2050. Has the Minister ever driven by car from Limerick to Cork? He may think these are two random statements but believe me, they are not. We must be realistic here.

First, we are looking at the Adare bypass, which has been prioritised yet has been ongoing for the last five years. This must be completed by 2030 for Shannon Foynes Port to keep its port status. It is the deepest port in Europe and with a road and rail infrastructure it could facilitate the largest ships in the world. The long-awaited investments into Shannon Foynes Port would mean we can take produce in through Foynes from all over the world. All produce could come through this port to supply the western seaboard. Strategically, Limerick makes much more sense. It can make such a difference logistically as it is centrally placed in the country. Therefore, I will save the Minister's emissions. We are in the middle of the country. The Government should invest in Shannon Foynes Port, the deepest in Europe. The Minister does not have to bring everything down from Dublin. We will send it back up to him. We will send it all over the country because we are centralised in Limerick. There are no park-and-rides in our area.

I will ask again if the Minister has ever driven from Cork to Limerick. A one-hour journey by motorway can now take two hours with the current road structure. In the national development plan, €21.8 billion is allocated to energy and climate change and only €4.5 billion to the local road network. The Dublin metro, however, gets €5.4 billion and the DART expansion brings it up to €7.4 billion. Therefore, 94,427 km of local and regional roads are getting only half the funding the Government is giving to Dublin. Twenty-five other counties in Ireland are contributing to this country. Give us our equal share and invest in the infrastructure. The Minister should take a common-sense approach. He should look at Shannon Foynes Port, the deepest port in Ireland. We will save his emissions and bring them down because we are centralised. Remember, it is the deepest port in Europe that can accommodate the largest ships in the world.

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