Maria Byrne (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the Minister of State. I thank him for his speech that outlined his thoughts and plans.

The regions have been spoken about an awful lot and my colleague, Senator Kieran O'Donnell, referred to the M20, which is very important. I shall return to what Senator Coffey said in terms of regional development. I, too, would like to support the M20 and the connection with Waterford. I know the Government has a big commitment to the area outside of Dublin and job creation. A commitment has been given to create over 60% of jobs, etc., outside of Dublin. I agree that the Government must focus on and develop the regions. Senator Coffey is right that there is a big connection between the different cities and towns located in the regions. Limerick is very lucky to have Shannon Airport on its doorstep because many companies have located their businesses in the region thus leading to job creation. Education has also been included and highlighted in the Minister of State's report. We must invest in education in the regions in order to assist businesses to grow. I shall refer to the Minister of State's alma mater. Mary Immaculate College has a library facility for 700 students but in actual fact it has close to 5,000 students attending the college. Therefore, students lose out in terms of access to the library and research facilities.

Recently I visited the Monaleen national school that is comprised of eight classrooms and 16 prefabs. The school has been in the building programme for a long number of years. There must be investment in local schools and colleges. Such investment is an investment in our future and that leads to job creation in the regions.

This morning on the Order of Business I mentioned the overcrowding at University Hospital Limerick. I know that Senator Kieran O'Donnell referred to the matter earlier. I believe that there must be investment in extra beds at both University Hospital Limerick and St. John's Hospital. They are not just hospitals for Limerick city; they are hospitals for the region. University Hospital Limerick has the highest level of overcrowding in the region. The figures have been consistent for quite a while in terms of the highest level in Ireland. For an initiative to work and have a positive effect on the region there must be investment in both hospitals.