Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I hear the Deputy and I hear her advocacy for her county and her region, and for good reason. We will review the national development plan and our capital plans. We intend to publish that as a Government in the summer period. This will be an opportunity to map out what the increased level of capital funding will mean for the lifetime of this Government and provide that pipeline of capital funding. It will absolutely allow us to not just deliver on the capital commitments that have already been made for many projects across our country, including in Galway, but it will also allow us to add new ones.

I want to re-emphasise a point that I genuinely feel very strongly about and it is an honest point to make. It cannot just be about the level of funding, although that is important and we will increase it - take that bit as read - we will also have to look at how we can make sure approval processes are efficient. The word "simplification" needs to be put up in lights here.

We need to be able to work in partnership with local authorities and State agencies. I do not level this at Galway county or city council but we do not need buck-passing or saying that something is for another agency. We need to come together and deliver these projects. I do not believe funding will be the challenge.

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