Pádraig O'Sullivan (Cork North Central, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I am not going to dispute that the allocation has been increased this year for Cork. The Minister is right to state that Cork has the longest road network in the country. Indeed, the northern division of Cork has a population equivalent to places like County Kilkenny. West Cork, for example, has the largest road infrastructure network in the country. It is for that very reason that per head of population, Cork does receive less funding from any of these projects, whether it is in terms of roads, as I am speaking about now, or CLÁR programme funding. County Cork was massively underfunded in terms of that programme.

That is the case with roads, which I am speaking about now, while County Cork's share of CLÁR programme funding is massively underfunded. As regards LEADER funding, Cork is among the lowest in the country in terms of what it receives. In the case of the town and village renewal scheme, Cork has more settlements than any other county in the country, and it is estimated in the report issued today that it is likely to be 11 years before certain settlements in Cork receive their fair share. Cork is a massive county and I believe it deserves special consideration. I am not just saying that from a parish pump point of view. It is the reality on the ground that,per capita, it does not get its fair share.

See this speech in context