Michael Ring (Mayo, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

Senator O'Mahony and other speakers discussed the role of Knock airport. There were critics who said that this Government was doing nothing for Knock airport. This Government has put more money into Knock airport and regional development than any other Government since the foundation of this State. I am glad to say that it will continue to do that.

In terms of the Western Development Commission the Senator is quite correct; it has major fund there. The Minister of State at the Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment, Deputy Kyne, and myself are looking at what we can do to help the commission get to more companies. It is creating jobs and providing soft loans, and it is important that we support and help it in whatever way we can to create more jobs.

Senator Hopkins spoke about what is happening on the ground, and she is quite correct. I ask Deputies and Senators to stop talking down rural Ireland. In every corner of this country we have multinational companies and local, indigenous companies. I was in Skibbereen recently, and up in Drumshanbo. These are small, rural areas that are employing many people in very good jobs.These schemes are creating employment. We gave some funding for a digital hub in Skibbereen, County Cork, which employed many people. Now, people are coming out of the hub, setting up their own companies and employing people themselves. Waterways Ireland and my Department allocated €700,000 to the walkway in Drumshanbo, County Leitrim. We also gave €1 million to further develop the greenway from Drumshanbo to Leitrim village to Carrick-on-Shannon. This keeps hotels and others in business. Funding was also provided for the Food Hub there. From that, eight new companies emerged which created new jobs.

The greatest scheme of them all was brought in by this Government, the Wild Atlantic Way. I remember the cynics claiming it was another gimmick. Well, it must have been the greatest gimmick I have ever seen because it has created many jobs in every place along it.