Michael McDowell (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I note that in the company of our honoured guests Senator Norris mentioned the different practices in Islamic countries which are different from ours. However, every country changes with time, even Islamic and Christian countries. What is tolerable for some is intolerable for others. I do not accept the proposition that anybody with a religious sentiment is offended by the fact that those who want to use a public house on Good Friday do so. It does not in any way interfere with religious freedom or religious reverence.

I echo what Senator Wilson mentioned about infrastructure in the North and north west of the country. I regularly travel on the M4 to Mullingar, where the motorway stops. From there on to Sligo, and up to Donegal town, it is a very poor road in some areas. Likewise, the N3 Cavan-Derry route is completely underdeveloped. I recently went to a briefing with IBEC at which it indicated that instead of the country concentrating on the mantra of reducing public indebtedness from 75% down to 45%, it having already reduced from 120%, we should concentrate on getting public infrastructure right. If necessary under EU budgetary rules, we should use public private partnerships to build this essential infrastructure. I ask the Leader to ask the Minister, Deputy Ross, when he comes in and deals with all of the other issues which he is supposed to be dealing with, and expresses all the other opinions that we are asking him to express in this House, to deal with the urgent need to restore the programme which existed prior to the financial crash of building decent public infrastructure out to the North and north west. As has been stated in the House, the city of Derry and the people of Derry are entitled to have decent connectivity via Cavan and Monaghan with Dublin. If we are at all sincere about all the rhetoric about Brexit and soft borders and the like, the hardest border is that it is very hard to drive that distance now. We need now to have a renewed infrastructural programme, using public private partnerships if necessary. We cannot live in the straitjacket of EU budgetary arrangements and yet at the same time expect this country to prosper and, in particular, the north west to prosper. It has been isolated and cut off for far too long.