Robbie Gallagher (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

Cuirim fáilte roimh an Aire Stáit. I welcome the Minister of State to the House to discus this important plan, Project Ireland 2040. The fact we have a plan is to be welcomed and we all appreciate and understand that a plan is needed. As the old adage goes: fail to plan, plan to fail. Unfortunately, this plan is a missed opportunity in many ways. As someone recently said to me on the street, "This Government amazes me because they can tell us what they are going to do in 20 years time but they cannot tell us what they are going to do with the major issues today, tomorrow and next week." There is a fair degree of truth in that.

Any development is welcome. However, of the €116 billion in development projects that are mentioned in the plan, €42 billion worth have already been announced and there is nothing new in them. The manner in which the Government used the plan to promote itself and the way the plan was presented to the Irish people in Sligo that weekend were regrettable. It ended up being a project for promoting the Government, rather than a project for 2040.

When the draft plan came out, we discovered that if one was to draw a line from Dublin to Galway, there was no mention of any development north of that line. Thankfully, through the voices of opposition, including opposition from the Minister of State's party backbenchers, at the last minute changes were made to the plan which, to my mind, affects the credibility of the plan going forward. Again, it was a lost opportunity. Ultimately, this plan will be judged not on what it promises but on what it delivers. Unfortunately, when we look at promises made by this Government, whether in regard to broadband, housing or health, it would not inspire anyone with much confidence.

Brexit is very much in our focus at present and more space and credibility should have been given to that. None of us at this point know what our island will look like post-Brexit, when the UK leaves. The promotion of the plan at this time is a mistake and we could have benefited from stalling it. We have to look at the all-island context and, as I said, the fact we do not know what the country will look like following Brexit means this is another lost opportunity.

With regard to some of the projects outlined, I will talk about how they impact my constituency, in particular the Monaghan area. I note some which are listed as new projects date back a decade or even longer. The N2-A5 project was mentioned but it has been mentioned since the Good Friday Agreement was signed over 20 years. Similarly, the Ulster Canal project has been around for a long time. The refurbishment of a number of buildings located at St. Davnet's campus in Monaghan town had been mentioned up to two years ago. A primary care unit for Monaghan has also been mentioned but that was first mooted 15 years ago, when I was a member of the town council, and it was presented to the people of Monaghan as some kind of a consolation prize for the hospital being taken off call. Not one block has been laid at that development. I am sure the Minister of State will agree it is hard to have confidence in this plan when these announcements are presented as new.

There are also missed opportunities in the region I represent. One concerns the east-west link which would connect Cavan, Monaghan, Leitrim and Roscommon with Dundalk. There is no mention of that road. Again, I believe it is a mistake because Dundalk has been recognised as a growth centre for the region and the future of those counties will lie in their proximity to and connectivity with that location. The fact it is not mentioned is regrettable. From a Monaghan perspective, the Monaghan-Dundalk main road is very poor. We have been looking to get it upgraded because many students from the region travel the route daily, as well as people going to work. We welcome the announcement this week of 400 jobs for Dundalk by a Chinese consortium. Again, however, connectivity with that centre for the people of Cavan, Leitrim and Monaghan needs to be improved. The Minister of State might keep in mind those issues going forward.