Joe O'Toole (Independent)

There is no significant fishing port in the area. A friend of mine has a fish processing factory in Rossaveel. However, I would consider Rossaveel a port rather than a fishing port. Anyone who spends an hour there will agree with that. There is nothing of significance in Mayo or Sligo. It is an indication that the whole tourism aspect of angling has not been developed along that coast.

In terms of access, there is now a programme to invest in a number of marinas in that area, and not before time. Some committees have been asking whether they are good value for money. They are absolutely essential to opening up that whole area. There is a marina in Kilrush and there is a proposal to build one in Galway, perhaps on the Aran Islands. There is none on the west coast of Clare, or north Clare, which would be an ideal spot for a marina. There is also a proposal to build something similar in the Belmullet area, Sligo and north Donegal. This is what needs to be happening.

What is being done about our rail infrastructure? There should be a train every hour from Dublin to Sligo, Dublin to Ballina, Dublin to Westport, Dublin to Galway, Dublin to Ennis and Dublin to Limerick. That is the only way we will open up our rail infrastructure. In terms of the north-south area, that rail link must be established, and not just from the western rail corridor. There is not just a problem with the western rail corridor, there should be a rail link from Sligo to Limerick Junction or wherever and across to Rosslare on the existing line. This should be a viable upgraded line. This would open up a whole area of the country which has been ignored by the tourism industry. This cannot be opposed.

It all boils down to the quality of the water in our rivers, lakes, water supply and sewerage system. I agree with Senator Mansergh that sewerage systems are now developing right along the Shannon. There has been a significant improvement in all the towns in the west because of the establishment of water treatment and sewerage plants of various descriptions. A query was raised here recently as to where the plan is and how far it will go. There should be a national development plan after 2006, which should be directed at areas of the country that need a leg-up, so to speak. According to the latest reports from the NRA, the infrastructural plans in terms of roads should be up and running by 2010.

In regard to how people in these areas live, there are great difficulties with planning in the whole BMW region. If we take all the opposing or conflicting arguments, what is happening at the moment is not acceptable. Objections to granting planning permission every time someone wants to build a house in the area where they were born and reared must be considered in a measured, informed and focused way. I am opposed to people being allowed to build in an area just because they live there. However, I am equally opposed to the blanket opposition to building that takes place time and time again. An Taisce has been responsible for much of this over a long time. Hamlet development should be encouraged, particularly where there are existing houses. Someone who lives and works in an area should be given more consideration than someone who is building a holiday home.

While I agree that tax breaks should be examined, I would be opposed to the elimination of all of them. However, they should be examined because it was never intended that the super rich should pay no tax. Members of this House will be aware that many middle income people in their circle of friends have taken advantage of tax breaks. This does not apply to just the super rich. We also know there has been a gain in the hotel industry in particular. Senator Feeney's point is correct in terms of the quality hotels that are being developed throughout the west. The last time I spoke on this issue, I made the point that there was no hotel in Belmullet, for instance, which is a central area for golf, tourism and many other pursuits. A hotel is now being built in the area, which is very important.

The Senator referred to Sligo and Leitrim. However, what is being done to Leitrim village is not acceptable. A village that had 30 houses some years ago will now have 400 houses, with no appropriate infrastructure. Many of these will be ghost houses which are not lived in. We need to draw a distinction when planning permission is being granted in these areas so they are not overrun.

To return to the commuter issue, we must examine how we can serve Limerick and Galway. We hear every morning on the radio that the Oranmore roundabout and the Tuam Road are completely blocked. Senator Kitt said in this House some months ago that a commuter service from Tuam to Galway could be up and running in six months, whereas to build a road would take six years. In terms of infrastructural gain, this is what we should be considering. The week before Christmas 2003, a commuter service was opened between Ennis and Limerick. Its use has now quadrupled, even without building all the intervening stations such as Bunratty, Sixmilebridge and so on, which must also be considered. It indicates that there is a demand for this service, and there would also be a demand in the other direction. If Ennis-Limerick is viable, there is no reason Ennis-Galway would not be viable. If Ennis-Galway is viable, why is Galway-Limerick not viable? There is no doubt that a rail service into Galway would be a winner. Last month Iarnród Éireann began a new morning commuter service from Athlone to Galway. I have not examined the figures, but I intend doing so in the next week or so. I have no doubt that the train will be filled and used frequently. We cannot allow a situation to continue whereby the last train out of places like Sligo, Ballina and Castlebar, and back to Galway, is at 6 p.m. Even from Cork, the last train leaves at approximately 6.30 p.m. or 7 p.m. That is disgraceful. It is a waste of a resource for trains to be parked in stations overnight and not to be used. We should invest in our rail network.

A difficulty in discussing railways is that nobody working in CIE remembers the last time a railroad was built nor do they know anybody who worked on the building of one. People think that investment in rail infrastructure is a major undertaking but it is not.

We are discussing the proposed M3 route, against which I spoke trenchantly recently. However, I said that I supported the idea of an M3. Why should we not provide for a railroad running alongside that new motorway? We are talking about the Dublin-Dunboyne, Dublin-Dunshaughlin and Dublin-Navan routes. When building every new road why can space not be provided for a railway to run alongside, as is provided in half of the world? France is probably the best served country in Europe in terms of a railway service. Railways are still being built there. Only in the past two years a TGV line from Lille in northern France to the Mediterranean was opened. That is the type of development we need here. Given the cost of parking, motorists realise it is not worth the effort to drive into Dublin. These are issues that need to be examined.

In terms of support for investment in infrastructure — I acknowledge I did not deal with the road network — we should recognise all the smart advice from people on the east coast in regard to airports in the west, particularly in Galway and Knock, was that neither of them was viable. There was opposition to the provision of an airport at Knock from the two main political parties. Senator Mansergh will be quick to contradict me if I am wrong about that, but as I recall Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael——