Peter Cleere (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

All development indicators, such as population, jobs and infrastructure, show Dublin, Cork, Galway and Limerick cities developing at a much faster rate than Kilkenny, Waterford, Carlow and the south-east region. If we continue to focus on growth in and around Dublin without addressing the specific development challenges facing other regions, such as the economic underperformance of the south east, this will have negative consequences that could further add to growth pressure in the wider Dublin region and inhibit more peripheral parts of Ireland, like my own constituency of Carlow-Kilkenny, from realising their full potential. We need to improve accessibility between centres of scale along key east-west and north-south routes. Belview Port, for example, is a significant piece of national infrastructure based in south Kilkenny. It will not realise its full potential without improved east-west connectivity.

There is a commitment in the programme for Government to invest in all road projects in the current national development plan, with multi-annual funding clarity for road budgets so that agencies can plan accordingly. The N24 Waterford to Cahir project is listed in the NDP and, therefore, will be funded under the programme for Government. I require an assurance from the Government as to when the project will be funded and how quickly we can get it over the line.

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