Eamon Ryan (Dublin Bay South, Green Party) | Oireachtas source

I agree with the Deputy. We need greater investment in Cork – southside as well as northside – in terms of improved footpaths and an improved environment to make it safe for our children to walk or cycle to their local football clubs, boxing clubs or whatever it may be. Historically, there has been an underinvestment, although that has not been the case under this Government. Something like €140 million over the past four years is not an insignificant amount. Last year, we spent €35 million in Cork city. Nothing like that has ever been done before, but there is a legacy of underinvestment, so we need to scale that allocation up on the northside as well as on the southside. Many of the projects that have been in the design concept stage will now come for decision on their construction phases.

I will give Cork a message. The problem with Cork is that it tends to gold-plate things a certain amount and can have expensive projects. We need to build things fast and at a lower cost than is currently the case so that we can get a greater number of areas covered.

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