Matt Shanahan (Waterford, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Tánaiste for his response but I have to say I do not accept it. It would be very helpful to see proper granular data on capital spending. To that purpose, after our last engagement on this subject, I asked the Oireachtas Library and Research Service, which does really excellent work, to look at this and to prepare a report to see where public money goes. Believe it or not, they could not provide me with the analysis because they do not have access to the data. It is very hard not to reach the conclusion that the vast bulk of this discretionary capital spending is being funnelled into Dublin and Cork, home to almost all of our Ministers. I am not sure if the Tánaiste is aware of the list of projects that are being funded, the very large projects which he mentioned, such as the children's hospital, the MetroLink, the Ringsend water supply and the M20 Limerick to Cork motorway at €1 billion. These are really large-scale State projects and we are not seeing them. Most of our projects have been knocking around Dublin for more than a decade now, unactioned and slow-walked. Meanwhile, Cork and Dublin are on to the next new shiny thing. It is heartbreaking, to be honest.

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