Michelle Mulherin (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I join in the expressions of sympathy to the people of Manchester and, of course, to people throughout the UK, as many youngsters had travelled to Manchester for this concert. It is a real tragedy. It hits home for us in Mayo as so many Mayo people have gone to Manchester over the years.There is a Mayo Association in Manchester and we have the Mayo Manchester Tradfest every August in my home town of Ballina. Many young Irish dancers and musicians come over from Manchester on exchanges. What happened yesterday is horrific and I join my colleagues in sending my thoughts, prayers and solidarity in the face of this evil.

I ask the Leader to invite the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform, Deputy Paschal Donohoe, to the House to discuss the mid-term capital review. We need to have a real debate about infrastructural deficits in this country. There are deficits all over the country but particularly in the west and the north west, which has no major inter-urban routes, no high-speed train service and only a limited deep water port in Killybegs, not to mention the broadband deficit. We must consider where we can invest in order to grow these areas. These are areas which are experiencing population decline, where teacher numbers are falling because school enrolments are dropping because families cannot live there because they cannot find work. In the big urban centres children cannot find school places and families cannot find places to live, while there are empty houses in the west and north west. Investment in infrastructure by the State will make these areas less peripheral, improve connectivity and make them more attractive to investors. This is particularly pertinent as we face into Brexit. Investment in infrastructure can sometimes be curtailed by EU state aid rules. We found this to be the case with regard to Knock Airport, which is limited in what it can get from the State because of these rules. There is a case to be made for a temporary framework, similar to what was done in the face of the banking crisis in 2009. We need to see investment in the western rail corridor, in roads, broadband and in Knock Airport.