Peadar Tóibín (Meath West, Aontú)

Storm Babet hit Cork two years ago. It caused damage estimated at about €200 million. It hammered the area, and it is very lucky that nobody was killed. Since then, practically nothing has been done. The area has been promised flood defences for decades but, in the best-case scenario, it is going to take eight years for those flood defences to come into play.

Navan is the largest town in the country without a rail line. More Meath people commute than in any other county and we commute further. Return journey times are about four hours at the moment. The former TD, Noel Dempsey, promised the rail line in 1994 but the best-case scenario is that it will be 2036 before it is built.

The Taoiseach said that the planning process has evolved. The planning process has not evolved. The Government created the planning process. We have the longest planning in Europe. We have the longest licensing and permits system in Europe. We have the longest tendering time in Europe at the moment. It is incredible. The whole system is falling apart. When will the Government reform it to make sure we can build infrastructure properly and on time in this country?

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