Colm Burke (Cork North-Central, Fine Gael)

Regarding forward planning, we need to address the concentration of development in Dublin and the greater Dublin area. We need to focus very much on places like Cork, Limerick and Galway. There is clear evidence that the growth in jobs continues in Cork. Therefore, we must develop the housing in order to accommodate those new jobs. I do not believe we are working hard enough to develop areas outside of Dublin regarding housing and the infrastructure required. In the last census, the population of Cork was 581,000. It is now more than 600,000. In a very short time, if we do it correctly, it will be more than 650,000. The industries are there. They want to stay there and grow but in order for this to happen, more housing is needed. It is extremely important that there is forward planning for areas outside of Dublin and the greater Dublin region.

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