Cathal Crowe (Clare, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

If my hair stands up, the Leas-Cheann Comhairle will know the microphone has shocked me, with the rain dropping in this corner. I notice it is dry in other parts of the Chamber but we are still standing.

I have a straightforward question and I hope the Taoiseach can tell us something positive. The Limerick northern distributor road, phase 1, from Coonagh to Knockalisheen, finally got under way for the second time. The contractor fell through but work has restarted, which is great. We now see all the improvements that the Government promised starting to come on stream. The University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, a 150-bed hospital, will soon go in for planning. We also have an industrial zone to be planned beside it and we had news earlier this week that a brand-new train station will be built. However, if the true economy of this belt between counties Clare and Limerick is to be realised, we need phase 2 to happen between Knockalisheen out as far as the University of Limerick. I have had my own squabbles over many years about how we should route it. We have largely lost those battles or, at least, they have been settled. We now need to know with some certainty what will happen with phase 2. Will it stay in limbo or will it be realised as well?

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