Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

First of all, as I said earlier, it is not by accident that they are looking at the west. There is a strong proactive Government approach to encouraging investment into the regions where that is possible and where we can facilitate it. That is a very important point. I take the Deputy's point in terms of railways more generally. In the context of climate action, the climate change agenda and the necessity to decarbonise, railways will have a much more important role now and into the future. In that context, the Minister has commissioned the all-island strategic rail review, which will set out the map, as it were, and the plans, followed by the allocation of resources to get such projects under way.

As the Deputy is aware, the Department of Rural and Community Development is funding the Western Development Commission in respect of regional remote working hubs, which are important in building up the human capital skills base to facilitate smaller enterprises as well as creating the overall capacity so that the requisite skill sets are there when bigger players come into the region. For us now, it is about getting these projects delivered. The resources are being allocated to do so.

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