Mary O'Rourke (Fianna Fail)

I second Senator Mansergh's motion. I will speak now because I may not get in if I do not — there are eager cubs on the other side of the House. That is a nice word, cubs, in case they run to the radio about some word I said.

I welcome this motion and the opportunity to speak in favour of the national development plan. So often we talk about decisions made on the spur of the moment or planned on the back of an envelope. This plan is well laid out and couched and it covers every area of life. It is a fine piece of work drafted by eminent civil servants but with a strong political flavour to it. That is what is so good about it, it is the best of the mix of political leadership and Civil Service attention to detail.

I congratulate the Minister for Finance, Deputy Cowen, because this plan is typical of his work. He goes to do a job and he does it excellently and without any carry on. This is a plan of which we can all be proud and I hope Opposition and Government both support it. If the unforeseen were to happen and the Government change, I have no doubt the Opposition's criticisms would be replaced by a strong espousal of the NDP. However, I will not continue in that regard because I do not talk about events which will never happen. The Government will be re-elected. It is in the spirit of having a plan that Departments understand what they must do and are compelled to take ownership of their policies.

I wish to speak about the gateways innovation fund, in which regard it has been immensely helpful that we are dealing with a Minister from the midlands. Athlone, Tullamore and Mullingar, or ATM, which is an unfortunate acronym, are gateway link towns. The spatial strategy has been criticised as not being implemented but the NDP provides for the establishment of a gateways innovation fund which will operate on the basis of a lead local authority, which will be Westmeath County Council in the ATM area. Submissions will be invited from projects within the area which, for example, persuade people to change from private to public transport. A very good railway project team has been established, of which I am a member, to bid for part of the €300 million made available over the first two years of the fund. We met the Minister for Transport, Deputy Cullen, last week and the Minister for Finance, Deputy Cowen, a few weeks ago. Next week, we will meet the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government, Deputy Roche, under whose aegis a committee will be established to manage the fund.

The fund is tailor-made for the restoration of the Athlone to Mullingar railway. In case any doubt should arise, this line was abandoned in mid-1986 by a certain former Minister for Transport. As he has since passed away, I do not wish to pass comment on him other than to say he was also critical of Knock Airport. The then Taoiseach, Mr. Garret FitzGerald, produced a document entitled backwards into reality — I apologise — Building on Reality.