Matt Shanahan (Waterford, Independent) | Oireachtas source

In my contribution last night I touched on the carryover into 2022 of an unspent €800 million. I also highlighted many issues in Waterford. Although I wanted to keep the observations to a national context I am afraid the announcements overnight force me to do otherwise. The Department of Transport's support package of €108 million to regional aviation bypasses Waterford Airport yet again. Not alone do we not get any money out of the total €160 million package but the Department withdrew €350,000 in stopgap funding while we were waiting the development of a new runway, subject to An Bord Pleanála permission. The funding was withdrawn despite Waterford Airport being the busiest private flying airport in the country, despite it seeing significant expansion and the recent announcement of the Atlantic Flight Training Academy, and despite that a planning application was pending with An Bord Pleanála. Two weeks ago, at the transport committee I asked a principal officer for a response on why Waterford was being excluded. I am still waiting on that. Is Cork the preferred location for a future Rescue 117 contract? It appears to be what this policy is stating.

With regard to our hospital services, I have highlighted to the Minister and colleagues the failure of the South/South West Hospital /Group to expedite the appointment of 24 whole-time equivalents to cardiology to expand the hours. We are still at 39 hours per week. It is the most underfunded model 4 hospital, with the third longest waiting list, in the country. There are 1,000 fewer whole-time equivalents than in Limerick and 2,000 fewer than in Cork.

Waterford Institute of Technology is still waiting for an announcement on the capital funding the Minister has in mind despite it being announced for its equivalents in Dublin and Cork two years prior to their designation. It has been confirmed that the college cannot borrow from the European Investment Bank to support student teaching spaces and only student accommodation. In the meantime, an engineering block promised since 2012 looks like it will not be delivered before 2025 or 2026.

It is hard to understand all of this in the context of the programme for Government citing Waterford as a centre for expansion in the south east. I refer to Deputy Ring's speech in recent days. How does a public servant get sacked in this country? Everybody in the Government tells me they are trying to initiate policy to support Waterford in the south east. I can only conclude it is being held up within the Department. If we are going to issue new Covid certificates perhaps we should develop a new national certificate for people from the south east so we can clearly delineate them from the rest of the population and discriminate them as we are with regard to funding in the region.

If developing Waterford and the south east is a significant part of the programme ,why do we suffer procedural delays that do not attach to any other capital project? Why do we suffer endless financial reviews and project reviews while others skate on unhindered? I could certainly point to where the €800 million could be spent in the most underfunded region in the country.

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