Michael McGrath (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

If the Deputy examines the facts, this Government is delivering for the northside of Cork city. Indeed, it is delivering for all of Cork and there is a fair allocation of resources. looking at the investment from this Government that is now going into the northside across a range of areas, such as a number of housing schemes with which the Deputy will be very familiar, including in Knocknaheeny, investment in road infrastructure, investments we have announced in terms of public transport corridors and BusConnects, the additional investment in education we have put into the northside of Cork, such as the expansion of DEIS, for example, the investment that has taken place in St. Mary’s campus, and the investment in our sports clubs, with many of which the Deputy will be very familiar.

However, of course, we have to take a broader view of the northside. People do not just live in a silo. They avail of all of the services and facilities across our city. Take, for example, the docklands in Cork city. There is more than €400 million being invested in urban regeneration funding, some of which will be on the north side of the quays. Of course, we have the Cork-Limerick motorway project now, where an identified corridor has been published. That is just to give a very small flavour. There is the commuter rail project, which we prioritised as a Government, which will be of major benefit to the northside of Cork, including new train stations planned at Blarney, Blackpool and Tivoli. More than €180 million of European funding has been secured, and the northside of Cork city will be a key beneficiary of that. All of the evidence points to this Government’s record as being a strong one in delivering for the northside of the city.

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