Michael Mullins (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I very much welcome the capital plan for the next five and a half years, which was announced today with a significant investment of €27 billion. Obviously, this will restore, I hope, all of the jobs lost during the recession and address many of the infrastructural deficits we have. To pick up on the arguments made by Senators Diarmuid Wilson and Cáit Keane, the only way we will beat the criminals in today's world, who are very sophisticated, is with technology. I welcome the fact more than €200 million is in the plan for investment in technology. Good technology and Garda vehicles will go a long way towards tackling the problem of rural crime. We must ensure Garda stations have technology and facilities. Recently I visited the Garda station in Ballinasloe and I was horrified to see how primitive the conditions were and the poor facilities for the detention of prisoners.If that is replicated throughout the country, we need significant investment in existing Garda stations.

I welcome the fact that during the lifetime of this capital plan, 45,000 jobs will be created in construction. That will get the construction sector off its knees, so to speak, and give it a badly-needed boost.

The Fine Gael-Labour Party Government is to be applauded on the progress made over the past four and a half years. Having got the country up off its knees, it now has an ambitious programme to drive forward the recovery and ensure that we never again get ourselves into the position we have been in for the past seven or eight years.

I welcome the announcement today of the rural economic development zones and the allocation of funding for same. In County Galway alone, €207,500 was allocated, with €60,000 being allocated to Ballinasloe Area Community Development, which submitted a fantastic application. That €60,000 will help it put together a plan that will drive economic recovery, particularly in the retail sector in towns like Ballinasloe and others towns in east Galway.