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

What is the national recovery and resilience plan? The EU has promised a recovery and resilience fund of €750 billion with the aim of helping member states to deal with the costs arising from the Covid-19 pandemic and to boost the European economic recovery. Cash is to be paid in the form of grants. The tick boxes for these funds relate to research and innovation, fair climate and digital transitions, recovery and resilience, fighting climate change, biodiversity protection and modernising traditional policies. Why are there great delays in respect of apprenticeship schemes? I have heard several complaints that Turas Nua is blocking people from getting on such schemes. This is from where the next body of future workers will come.

Let us look at where the grant schemes are coming from. With regard to fighting climate change, I have been saying from the start that dispersion of traffic throughout the country will be the saviour of Shannon Airport, Cork Airport and all of the other airports. Many of the grants the Government is seeking relate to this dispersion of traffic. This will ensure the future of Shannon Airport. The Wild Atlantic Way, which offers the best views and the best hospitality in Ireland, runs through Limerick and the surrounding counties. What does the Government do? It brings people to this amenity through Dublin. The Government should use these grants to promote Limerick and the surrounding tourism area. The Government should use its head and save Shannon Airport.

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