Aisling Dolan (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the great funding that was announced yesterday as part of the just transition fund, which amounts to over €27.8 million. It is wonderful to see a project in my own home town of Ballinasloe getting funding of nearly half a million euro for remote working hubs. The just transition process follows on from job losses, climate change and us changing the types of industry that we have in Ireland. More than 200 jobs were lost locally in Shannonbridge, more jobs were lost in Lanesborough, and there were also jobs losses in Aptar, so it is great to see this investment, which will bring jobs and people to work the middle of Ballinasloe town and increase footfall in that area.

I also welcome the wonderful funding that has been announced for Roscommon, with greenways being funded, the bog rail train routes being taken off in Cloontuskert and around by Shannonbridge, and action plans being put in place for Shannonbridge. All of this is to support people who are seeking to re-skill and retrain and also to have opportunities for work that they did not have previously.

I would also like to follow on separately to Senator Ahearn in welcoming the announcements of the plans for the Athlone and Letterkenny institutes of technology. That new technological university in Athlone will really be transformative for our region. As Athlone is only 20 minutes away from Ballinasloe, it will have a huge impact in east Galway, as it will in Tipperary. It will have a wide catchment area, and we look forward to having excellent research available and ready to imbed in industry and attract investment into the region of east Galway and into Roscommon. It will be fantastic to have a technological university on our doorstep.