Marian Harkin (Sligo-Leitrim, Independent) | Oireachtas source

As the Minister said, this is a substantial investment for shovel-ready projects. Ballymote was delighted that it was ready to go, as it were. The Minister knows from correspondence between our offices that I have been pushing for this, as I know some of my colleagues have as well. The committee is ambitious and the project, as I said, is shovel-ready. It has done huge work to get to where it is today. This project is a no-brainer, not just for Ballymote but also for the entire south Sligo area. As the Minister is aware, Ballymote has no suitable community centre despite a huge increase in population. Between 2002 and 2016, Ballymote had population growth of 60%, with 30% of its residents under the age of 18. It is the third-largest town in County Sligo, yet it has no proper community investment infrastructure.

See this speech in context