Paschal Mooney (Fianna Fail)

At the risk of incurring the wrath of the Chair, the issue riveting the nation is whether any of the Bloomsday ladies in the photograph that was in the national media this week caught Senator Norris. There is growing concern among people west of the Shannon that there is another anti-west lobby on decisions on the re-opening of the western rail corridor. A report was published some weeks ago by the Western Development Commission, the conclusion of which asked why dual carriageways stop approximately where the Shannon separates east and west and why people in the west should not have the same infrastructure and development of services as those in the east. I link that to a perception that there has been a reduction in spending in the BMW region under the national development plan and from EU funding, which continues until 2012 at least.

I accept that the Government, particularly the Minister for Finance, has responded vigorously to this perception in recent weeks. I would like the Leader to consider a debate, if not before the recess then after, possibly in Government time as a motion that would allow this House and the Government to clarify the spend of money in the west on infrastructural development. It might help lay the myths that are growing up about this and would allow Senators on all sides of the House to make a contribution