Cathal Berry (Kildare South, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I want to add my voice to thank Deputy Shanahan for doing all the leg work and Ms Cáit Nic Amhlaoibh, our group administrator, for doing all the heavy lifting in getting this very important Bill before the House this morning. I am glad the Minister of State actually picked up on the constructive nature of the Bill as well. That is precisely the intended purpose. It is meant to be constructive, positive and optimistic and there is a reason for that. It was not the pessimists who built this country. It was the optimists who built it. They were the ones who poured the concrete in Ardnacrusha that gave us a century of renewable energy and who laid the tarmacadam in Dublin Airport. They were the ones who dragged this country out of the colonial poverty we were in, so it is completely appropriate that the tone and tenor of this Bill be constructive, positive and optimistic.

I attended a State commemoration earlier this year where I was chatting to a few EU ambassadors. We were chatting about social media, and I mentioned that perception is reality. I was immediately corrected by one ambassador, who said that perception is not reality - perception is even more important than reality. She was completely right. There is a perception on this island that regions outside the M50 are not getting their fair share. It is true that it is a perception but what we do not know is whether it is a reality. This Bill provides the evidence base, and a data set in order that we can push back against that narrative, where it is appropriate, or confirm that narrative, where it is appropriate. I would definitely back up what Deputy Canney said about this need for positive discrimination in certain regions around the country. Yes, absolutely, certain regions do need preferential treatment and preferential allocation of resources. It is not a threat to Dublin in any shape or form. It is actually in Dublin's interest that there would be balanced regional development. The Minister of State is a Dublin TD. He knows about the gridlock from a traffic point of view. He knows what the pressures on public services are in Dublin. Empowering the regions, therefore, makes perfect sense. It is what we should be looking for.

I will mention the importance of a major capital project, or even a minor capital project, in a small town or village around Ireland. It has a hugely positive effect. The Minister of State mentioned the broadband plan. That roll-out is going well. Obviously, we would prefer it to be done today, but it will not be. However, it is progress, for sure. He mentioned the rail network. Obviously, we mentioned the motorways as well. There are wonderful spines of networks and structures around the country that we need to take full advantage of, but we are not really.

The Government sometimes comes up with a new agency or authority. We really need a new refugee agency in this country to deal with the influx at the moment. However, whenever we are setting up this new office, authority or agency somewhere, the Minister of State should bear in mind that it does not have to be in Dublin. We should be using this excellent infrastructure that has been created. We are not exploiting this new infrastructure. We are actually using that infrastructure for its intended purpose. If there is going to be a new State agency or entity developed in the next few years, we should consider locating it outside the M50. It would make a big difference.

I want to double down on what the Minister of State said about offshore energy. We are totally on board with that. Coastal Ireland, in particular, has suffered a lot as a result of the decimation of the fishing industry. Being able to provide renewable energy to this country into coastal communities would be a hugely important step forward. We are totally on board with that.

The last thing I want to do is float an idea. When I was growing up, the Industrial Development Authority, IDA, used to construct advance factories, if I can describe them that way. It used to buy a site, build a generic premises and make the premises available to multinational companies from leasing, renting or purchase. Many multinational companies are turned off from rural Ireland. They are afraid to locate there because the planning process is completely paralysed. They want to be good neighbours and contribute to the community, but they are afraid there are going to be a massive number of objections. It is turning multinational companies against locating in rural Ireland. The suggestion is that the Minister of State might perhaps raise with his Cabinet colleague, the Minister, Deputy Coveney, that the IDA could resuscitate that initiative from the past whereby these turnkey premises are there, and individual companies can come in and customise then for their own individual needs.

In summary, I very much welcome this Bill. It is an excellent idea and like all good ideas, it is very simple. It is completely free, it provides great transparency and accountability and it can provide the basis for the further development of this country into the future.

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