Claire Kerrane (Roscommon-Galway, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

In 2019, the EU downgraded the west and north-west region from a developed region to a region in transition. This is not something that just happened; it was the direct consequence of our region being at the bottom of the table when it comes to Government investment in health, roads and third level education. It is a direct result of the failure of successive Governments to invest in critical infrastructure and ensure the region west of the Shannon got its fair share. Unfortunately, by the looks of the national development plan, the Government has failed to grasp the serious situation in which our region finds itself.

We have an opportunity to address this by way of the European Regional Development Fund. For every €100 the Government spends in our region, the EU will provide €60 of that contribution under this funding. It is an opportunity we cannot afford to miss. Taking public transport as just one example, we have a situation, as referred to by my colleague, where the 20-X20 Dublin-Galway route, an important route covering a number of rural towns from Ballinasloe to Ahascragh, has been lost. There is also an issue with the Local Link bus service, which covers a really important route from Ballaghaderreen to Roscommon, stopping in rural towns and villages that have no access whatsoever to public transport. When I contacted the National Transport Authority, NTA, seeking an increase in the service, I was told that the authority is there to work with Local Link to increase the network but the money is not there to do it. Ordinary people are being crippled with diesel and petrol prices the likes of which most have not seen before. At the same time, the very few alternatives that are there, such as Local Link and the 20-X20 route, are being pulled or the money is not there to fund them.

The Government needs to make a decision. Is it going to fund the alternatives and make it easier for people to access them, or is it going to keep cutting vital public transport networks and refusing to fund the existing ones to make them better? This is the decision that has to be made. It is not just about investment in public transport; it is about investment right across the board to ensure those of us who call the west of Ireland home can live there contentedly and raise families there.

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