Albert Dolan (Galway East, Fianna Fail)

Gabhaim buíochas leis an Aire Stáit. That tells the story. I was expecting to hear numbers like that. A 7% increase in Enterprise Ireland employment numbers across Galway in 2023 to 2024 alone is phenomenal growth and the type of growth we want to see, not just for Galway, but for all of the west.

There are two important aspects I wish to highlight. The first is the planning process for new companies looking to establish in our area to accelerate that growth. We had a fantastic example in my nearest town of Athenry. The Dexcom facility currently under construction is set to employ 1,000 people. It is at the M6 motorway interchange and has rail connectivity. This formed part of the western regional enterprise plan previously. The problem currently lies with infrastructure in Galway city. I need support from the Department of enterprise to encourage the other Departments, be that the Department of Transport or of infrastructure, to ensure access to Galway city is a priority. So many of my constituents commute into the city to access work in Parkmore and it is not fair on them to have their time stolen.

See this speech in context