Hildegarde Naughton (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I join with my colleague, Senator Michael Mullins, in welcoming the allocation of almost €300 million for the maintenance and upkeep of our roads infrastructure, in particular the allocation of €1.5 million for the rehabilitation of the bridge in Lough Atalia, which is in the heart of Galway city. This is critical funding for the future development of Galway Harbour and the surrounding area. The bridge was not built to deal with the modern traffic issues we face today. At the recent oral hearings for the proposed development of the harbour, the issue of traffic came up and was discussed in great detail. Therefore, this allocation of €1.5 million is to be greatly welcomed.

I also wish to refer to reported comments of the sponsors of the working abroad expos. These expos were held in the RDS each year. They were hiring fairs, targeting our most skilled, young and highly educated workforce who had to find jobs abroad during the recession. This is the first year there is an expo in Perth where Irish companies are now targeting our young highly skilled workforce who had to emigrate. The Irish global recruitment firm, CPL, has indicated that it has 2,500 full-time positions waiting for our young Irish abroad. This is a great sign of the economic recovery and I commend the Government on the work it has done over the past few years.