Imelda Munster (Louth, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I want to express disappointment with the allocation Ireland received under the recovery and resilience fund, which is €915 million out of a total fund of €750 billion. This is very small when compared to the allocations other states are receiving. I understand Poland, for example, is expected to receive €58 billion, with almost €25 billion of that in direct grants. We need to review the State's use of GDP as a method of measuring wealth. We all know our GDP figures are farcical and, as a result, we are losing out at a time we need as much investment as we can get to help affected communities, services and industries get back on their feet.

Worthwhile projects are included in the Government’s proposals, some of which were made by Sinn Féin in our submissions, for example, an electronic system for sharing medical records, regional work innovation hubs and a major retrofitting programme, which are all badly needed. Other initiatives such as investment in public transport are also welcome. We need to ensure that parts of the country that are in dire need of investment and development are not left behind, like the north west, the Border region and the north east. These areas suffered the double-whammy of Brexit and Covid in recent years and they need additional support.

In a recent scoping report into community safety and well-being in Drogheda, it was made very clear that the lack of investment in the town by successive Governments created the conditions whereby young people were vulnerable to being sucked into lives of drugs and crime. We are seeing poor outcomes as a result of the decimation of services and the neglect of the town in terms of attracting businesses and industries to keep jobs in the area. We need to get vital infrastructure, like the northern cross route, off the ground to attract businesses into the town as a matter of urgency. The northern cross route has been delayed for almost 15 years. If the Government will not fund it, we should seek other funding options such as this scheme. The delay in the project is holding back the development of Drogheda, and I cite it as just one of the many towns this applies to.

Drogheda has a lot going for it. It is Ireland's largest town, it has a young, well-educated population and it is located on the Dublin to Belfast corridor. What is missing is the Government support to develop the town to attract employment and provide housing. Successive Governments have repeatedly dropped the ball on this and it must be rectified. Neglect of urban centres has to be reversed. I hope the Government will prioritise this project and make sure the funding is secured as a matter of urgency.

See this speech in context