Ned O'Sullivan (Fianna Fail)

Recent speculative newspaper articles have suggested that the an bord snip nua report recommends that Shannon Development, the enterprise body for the mid-west region, should be wound up or, at best, amalgamated with some other organisation. This has been greeted with dismay in the region, where Shannon Development has delivered a fantastic service for decades. It has pioneered broadband provision, opened some 60 technology and business parks and recently secured the €500 million LNG project for north Kerry. Oireachtas Members in Kerry, Limerick, Clare, north Tipperary and the south midlands are fully supportive of the work of Shannon Development, as are all local authority members in the region. The chairman of the board, Councillor John Brassil, is a colleague of mine in Kerry and one of the best councillors in the State.