James Bannon (Fine Gael)

This double track line needs to be updated and made fully operational, as it would be an important asset to the midlands. The community enterprise board has identified it as essential to the development of Westmeath, while Westmeath County Council lists its reopening as an important strategic target. The Leader suggested I should not get involved in this project but I am involved because she and her Government colleagues failed to include it in Transport 21. She has suggested the project will be delivered post-2013. The line would link the three largest towns in the county, which the current road system does not provide for adequately. It could also be linked to Longford and Edgeworthstown, as it would help to connect the entire midlands. More accessibility would be gained to Mullingar hospital for the residents of Athlone, Moate and south Westmeath. Students from Athlone and Moate could also access Maynooth college and Longford students would have more ready access to Athlone IT. The BMW region urgently needs an improved rail service plan. A central rail line linking the towns of Roscommon, Tullamore, Mullingar, Longford and Cavan in the midlands has been a pet project of mine for a long time.

The N5 bypass connection to N63 has been promised for the last ten years and should be in place. The rail bridge at Longford on the N63 to Athlone requires replacement and this has been highlighted at several meetings of the BMW board but no action has been taken by the Government. Street restoration in Longford is long overdue but it is essential for the development of the town. The Newtownforbes bypass is still outstanding while the Longford to Granard bypass is overdue. The BMW board and Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government are well aware of the need to provide funding. Traffic calming and a roundabout in the centre of Ballymahon are long overdue. Longford town water supply requires urgent upgrading, as businesses have been without water on several occasions during the past six months. The business owners pay high rates but the Government has failed to provide capital funding to upgrade the water supply.

In its programme for Government in the run-up to the last general election, the Government parties highlighted that they would roll out broadband to the regions by 2006. The lack of progress in this regard is stifling development in rural areas and there is widespread discontent at the lack of interest the Government has displayed in rolling out broadband to the regions. Abbeyshrule airport in County Longford, which was established in the early 1950s, should be developed because an airport is needed in the midlands. The airport board has been crying out for funding but nothing has been delivered. Gas spurs have been denied to towns in the midlands and Chambers Ireland has lobbied all politicians about this.

The difference between the two main EU designated regions in Ireland, the south and east and the BMW region, is considerable. GVA per capita in the BMW region is 31% less than the average for the State while the equivalent figure for the south and east is 11% higher than the average and this gap has considerably increased since the mid-1990s. The BMW region has experienced a decline in its share of the national wealth, with major gaps in disposable income. Disposable income in the BMW region is 8% less than the State average. The attempts by the BMW region to narrow the gap between it and the south and east is hampered by deficits in transport, energy and communications infrastructure and by long-standing infrastructural difficulties.

Many lessons need to be learned. I thank the Leader for affording us time to debate this issue. While polish has been put on the spin, there has been a major underspend in the region, which proves negligence on the Government's part towards the people of the BMW region.