Jennifer Murnane O'Connor (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister of State for attending, although I am very disappointed the Minister, Deputy Eoghan Murphy, or the Minister of State, Deputy John Paul Phelan, did not attend this morning. On 15 August they attended a meeting with officials at Carlow County Council where there was a proposal from the council on a draft budget going to 2018. I am very disappointed they did not attend today.

Carlow has been hit harder than most towns in the recession and Government funding is more important now than ever. Carlow needs the Government to address these matters immediately. Our workforce must leave town daily, as our young left our shores during the recession. Hundreds of our workers park their cars on our motorway access point or share cars to Dublin, Cork, Louth, Limerick and further afield. They put in at least 14 to 15 hours daily and they have no other choice. We lost our manufacturing industries and we saw the heart-breaking sight of long-established businesses closed, with the county's disposable income all but dried up. These people must leave their families behind to find work as they have bills to pay. Carlow was once one of the most prosperous counties in this country and Carlow town was one of Ireland's most progressive and successful locations. Carlow County Council played a major role in this prosperity and, unfortunately, the equalisation fund was set in these years of prosperity.

The reality today is so different. We can consider the loss of the Irish Sugar Company, Erin Foods, Lapple, Cold Rolling Mills and numerous engineering companies and building contractors that have gone. Numerous small and medium enterprises have also gone. Braun was a major player that left the area devastated when it closed. This company employed more than 1,200 women and many men. The women brought valued second wages into the family home, thus providing disposable income. This income and the value of these jobs were especially helpful to Carlow's economic success and the thriving business community in Carlow.

Carlow must look to the future, and securing our fair share of Government funding is the first step in the process of restoring Carlow to a prosperous and thriving town and county. We cannot be left behind under the cloak of rural Ireland and tourism campaigns. We must work together to boost our county. Housing is vital to our county, but if we build houses, we must consider planning for jobs to bring income to those houses. Local government must be aided in creating prosperity to enrich these homes. Carlow is not shouting for extra funding or asking to be bailed out like banks. It is just asking for its fair share of Government funding. The Government can start this with the local property equalisation fund, just one item that can start to help the recovery both of Carlow town and every other part of our county.

In just over a year in this House I have seen the country's financial position improve. I look at Dublin and see a city that is thriving. Other cities and towns in counties are benefiting from recovery, but many other parts of our country are not feeling these benefits. They are not feeling hope. If our future is to be bright, we must provide that hope. Unfortunately, Carlow is one of the areas that has not felt much recovery and it has lost hope. If the Government gives Carlow its fair share of funding, it will help the county develop, improve services and make it a more attractive location in which to live, work, invest, create and build. We work hard in Carlow with Government agencies that work to attract large industries. We cannot choose their location for them. We can, however, shine our shoes, put on our best suit, light our lanterns and demonstrate that Carlow is open for business, growth and profit.

We need the help of the Minister of State. Carlow County Council refused to raise the local property tax last week because my county is not getting its fair share of funding from central government. These councillors have seen all other counties receive extra funding that we are not getting. I ask the Minister of State to say if they were wrong to highlight this injustice. Would he honestly say he would not do the very same for his constituents, fighting for their fair share and being the brave public representative they elected him to be? To recover fully from the recession, the Government must ensure every county is included. We cannot have an island within an island, with a thriving business industry dynamo blocked by the M50. I am sure other counties will fight for their fair share of Government funding and they should do so. Today, however, I am highlighting the case of Carlow and speaking for my home county and its concerns. The Government has failed to accept there is a matter that must be addressed immediately with Government funding for Carlow. It is really urgent as we are getting some of the lowest levels of funding.