Matt Shanahan (Waterford, Independent) | Oireachtas source

The Taoiseach may that when Deputy Micheál Martin was first nominated for Taoiseach, I said I would not support the nomination as a protest against the lack of 24-7 cardiac care. I did say I looked forward to engaging with the Government in a programme that showed equity and transparency at its core.

The south east has 11% of this nation’s population. I challenge the Taoiseach to show me any year from 2011 to today when 11% of State capital funding has come into the region. I would even challenge him to show me when 5% came in. There is no doubt there is a significant disparity. What Deputy Harkin highlighted yesterday I highlighted to the Tánaiste last week, showing discretionary spend for the south east was 40% lower than for the east coast and south west. Those are international, irrefutable facts.

When the current corporation tax feeding frenzy is over, what will the south east have in terms of strategic infrastructural delivery to point to? I see nothing spent on the N24 and N25. There is talk of action in respect of the university but nothing spent has been spent on it. Not a building will be constructed there in five years to either accommodate students or facilitate them being taught. Our model 4 regional hospital is not funded like its peers. There are no demonstrated improvements to our agricultural sector, which will suffer extremely badly in the next couple of years. Our fledgling aviation sector has received no support. The Taoiseach visited Waterford in 2017. At that stage, the Government could have funded it for a quarter of the current price. That is the cost of not delivering.

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