Hildegarde Naughton (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the Minister to the House and I thank him for taking the time to deal with this important issue. In light of yesterday's encouraging unemployment figures, the lowest since 2008, it is more important than ever that we should not take our eyes off the ball. The Minister agrees that we must do everything we can to continue to drive the recovery and the best way to do that is to create high-value, secure jobs while also ensuring that existing employment is maintained and developed. It is in this light that I wish to raise the issue of Parkmore industrial estate in Galway city. The Minister will be aware that IDA Ireland has been excellent in marketing this hub. It is home to companies from various industries, including medical devices, IT and research and development. More than 7,000 employees commute to the area daily and the value of that number of jobs is significant not just for Galway but for the western region as a whole.

Business leaders in the area have informed the public that severe traffic issues are having a direct effect on expansion, business productivity and the quality of life of their employees. Such is the problem that businesses have engaged in car pooling and flexitime for employees to ease the stress involved in getting to and from work. It is a simple fact that a relatively short commute in the area can take a multiple of the time it should. This problem did not appear overnight; it has become increasingly worse over the past two to three years and has reached the stage where business leaders in Parkmore have formed a group comprising chief executive officers and senior executives of the companies in the area to voice their concerns. The group has agreed to work with Galway City Council, Galway County Council and IDA Ireland in a constructive and proactive manner in order to try to find solutions. There are options on short-term, medium-term and long-term solutions, including changes to traffic light signalling, road markings, the addition of more exits, new bus routes and additional lanes at junctions. All these will help but they involve multiple agencies, including CIE, IDA Ireland, two local authorities, the National Roads Authority, NRA, and various other State agencies involved in planning. Funding is also an issue in the context of the works required.

The overarching consideration is jobs. While there has been movement in that the local authorities and IDA Ireland have met business representatives from the area to formulate a plan, I am concerned that, following several years of traffic chaos, we might experience more years of administrative delays until this matter is resolved. It is simply not good enough that we, as a nation, cannot sort out our infrastructure in a timely manner to ensure that jobs in Parkmore are retained and further investment is encouraged. I do not seek to blame anyone. Like the Minister, I am in the business of solution politics but I ask him, as a matter of urgency, to contact the State bodies concerns to emphasise the importance the Government places on the retention of jobs in Parkmore and future expansion there and to offer whatever assistance is required. I have details of the business community group in Parkmore. Will the Minister agree to meet a delegation from Parkmore to hear for himself the frustrations and issues of the employers and their employees?