Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I share the Deputy's frustration about the fact that so many infrastructure and capital projects take time to come to fruition and I can guarantee that it is not unique to the south east. I will not embarrass myself by listing them, but all of us from Cork and Dublin can tell the Deputy about capital projects in both counties that we would have liked to have started a long time ago but which, for reasons beyond our control, were delayed. That is just one of the realities that we face, although the new planning and development Bill will help to change that, making sure that fewer important infrastructure projects get caught up in the planning system and then subsequently get caught up in the courts.

In terms of where we are when it comes to investment in the south east, the Deputy has my assurance regarding a number of projects. The North Quays project is under construction and we will get it finished. We will get new homes, new businesses, retail units and everything else built there. When it comes to University Hospital Waterford, we will have the second cath lab up and running this year and there will be further investment in that hospital. When it comes to the South East Technological University, we are going to make sure that the Waterford Crystal site is brought into public ownership and that the engineering building is contracted and under construction within months. That is the commitment I make to the Deputy in the House today.

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