Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank Deputy Connolly for raising the issue of infrastructure and I want to get straight to that. I acknowledge the huge impact the storm has had on people right across the country and most particularly, people in the west and the north west. I am very conscious of the fact we can read out figures showing how many people have been reconnected to power and very good progress has been made, but that is obviously cold comfort to the 12,000 premises that remain without power today. As the Deputy rightly says, 2,750 of them are in her own city and county of Galway.

I want to obviously thank the over 3,000 ESB workers who are working on the front line in very difficult conditions repairing power and I want to thank our European and British colleagues who joined in that assistance. The phrase "lessons learned" is a bit of a hackneyed phrase in politics but never has it been more true in terms of the preparedness that we need to carry out now for adverse weather events. It is absolutely clear that we see a very significant change in the climate and we see a very significant increase in severe weather events. That resilience and preparedness that we need to build up nationally and locally is so important.

The Deputy's question today specifically follows on from that because adverse weather events highlight the vulnerabilities we can experience in certain parts of the country and, indeed, in all parts of the country in infrastructure as well. I am pleased that meeting with the city council took place; I know my colleague the Minister of State, Deputy Naughton, was there as was said and I am sure the Minister of State, Deputy Canney, was there too. We stand ready as a Government at the start of this new mandate to work with Galway City Council and Galway County Council on those infrastructure projects and the list they provided to Deputy Connolly.

I understand when it comes to things like the flood defence scheme, Corrib go Cósta, the funding is in place. The frustration that often drives people crazy in this country is the length of time it takes from an announcement of a scheme or a planned scheme to the delivery on the ground. That is why, as we negotiated our new programme for Government, we have placed a very strong emphasis on infrastructural delivery. We will see a very significant uplift, Deputy, in capital spending. That is objectively true and I think it will reach €95 billion by the end of this Government's term. What will be key for our citizens is whether they get value for money and whether the projects are delivered in an efficient and timely manner. I know that will apply to Galway as well.

That is why we have plans to expand the role of the Department of Public Expenditure, National Development Plan Delivery and Reform, with a particular focus on infrastructure delivery and a new division will be established within that Department to drive that forward as well. I am very happy to work constructively with the Deputy and other Galway TDs on those infrastructural projects, be it the wastewater treatment plants or the flood defence scheme. I also point out, and the Deputy would expect me to, that Galway has obviously seen a significant amount of investment over the last number of years in the train station, URDF funding, the new facility at the hospital, the plans for further developments and our commitment to try to get this ring road project moving too. I accept there is a lot more we need to do.

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