Ivana Bacik (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I welcome strongly today's announcement of a six-year capital investment plan that will extend from 2016 to 2021. I do not think there is any way to portray this as anything other than good news, no matter how the Opposition may try. A significant investment of €27 billion will be made over a six-year period. We are seeing really positive plans under a whole range of headings. In the transport area, the metro north project, which includes a link to the airport, and the cross-city Luas project will be developed. The importance of cross-Border co-operation is evident in the allocation of €31 million for heritage and cultural investment. We are seeing significant provision being made for demographic increases in the education sector, with 19,000 additional primary school places to be provided by 2018. Major investments are to be made in justice, housing and health as well. I do not think there is any way to portray this as anything other than good news. It is extremely welcome. I do not doubt that over the coming weeks, we will be in a position to tease out some of the detail of the capital investment plan and debate it further. This morning's announcement was accompanied by further good news on unemployment. It was announced today that the unemployment figure has decreased to 9.4%. As colleagues of mine have pointed out, there are 30,000 more people at work this year than there were this time last year. It is a very significant reduction. Of course we hope that trend will continue.

I would like to speak about commemoration, which is a theme to which we will return this afternoon when we debate the 1916 centenary commemorations. I commend Trinity College on the moving ceremony it held on Saturday - it was also attended by my colleague, Senator Barrett - at which a memorial stone commemorating the Trinity staff, students and alumni who died in the First World War was unveiled. The stone in question, which honours the memories of nearly 500 men and - I understand - one woman, is in the Front Square of Trinity, which means anyone can go to see it. While their names are etched on a hall of honour in the 1937 reading room, as it is known, for a long time many people did not know it was there as it was not advertised by the college and it was perhaps neglected in the way that we neglected so much of the history of the many thousands of Irish men and women who died in the First World War. It was very moving to hear pen profiles of some of the deceased being read by the presidents of the graduate students union and the students union at this really important event.

I ask the Leader for a debate when we get time, but in advance of the general election, on the issue of the eighth amendment. I was delighted to participate last Saturday in a demonstration organised by the Abortion Rights Campaign and the Coalition to Repeal the 8th Amendment. I was one of many thousands of people who took to the streets to call for the repeal of the eighth amendment. I think there is a growing momentum of people, individually and in groups, who have come out recently in favour of repealing the eighth amendment.