Charles Ward (Donegal, 100% Redress Party) | Oireachtas source

I congratulate the Taoiseach and his family on his appointment.

For far too long, Donegal has been left behind. The waiting times in Letterkenny General Hospital this week are, on average, 24 hours. When going into Letterkenny by the Polestar roundabout, the emergency services cannot even enter because they get stuck. What used to be a five-minute journey now takes 45 minutes.

The boats in Killybegs are tied up and the fish factories are silent. This never used to be the case but it is what is going on now.

The Creeslough families are still waiting for a public inquiry. Ten people lost their lives and the families are still waiting on a public inquiry. The biggest humanitarian crisis of them all is the defective concrete crisis. Tonight, as we speak, there are families going to hotels. With a red weather warning coming, they cannot stay in their houses because they are structurally unsound. There are houses that have been remediated on top of Weetabix blocks. We are in a humanitarian crisis in Donegal. There are 10,000 families stuck in a loop waiting.

The Taoiseach talks about concrete action. The concrete in Donegal is not even regulated. The Tánaiste spoke about building bridges. Why not build a bridge over the Swilly to relieve Letterkenny and stop it choking? That is what is going on. The A5 is the corridor to the north west. Let us help the A5 project and Letterkenny. Let us build a bridge over the Swilly.

I am here for the people of Donegal. Donegal is the most important thing for me. The families need help. I am asking the Taoiseach now to prioritise Donegal over the next five years.

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