Micheál Carrigy (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the Minister. One positive that came from the Covid lockdowns was that people walked and cycled in their local areas, thus leading to a greater appreciation for the current infrastructure. That is why I welcome the significant investment that has been put in place to continue and develop more cycleways and walkways.

I welcome the recent midlands retrofitting programme that provided a significant €3 million investment in my own county of Longford. Starting in the second week of January, 47 homes in my local village will be retrofitted, which is extremely welcome, especially by low income families as it will reduce their energy consumption and energy costs. When private owners see local authority houses being retrofitted, they will want more significant grants to enable them to retrofit. Recently, An Post rolled out a green hub so it will give grants to retrofit private houses but private householders must make a significant investment. I ask the Minister to consider increasing grants.

Have local authorities used up the funds available to provide charging points in their counties? Is the data recorded? To my knowledge, some local authorities have not done so.

Recently €108 million was allocated for the bog rehabilitation scheme. That is extremely welcome in my area, following the closure of the ESB plant and the Bord na Móna venue in Lanesborough. There is an opportunity for us to turn these places into an asset, such as the mid-Shannon wilderness park. I am sure the Minister is quite aware of the project but I want him to commit to its development. A 20,000 acre national park would be a fantastic tourism asset to County Longford and the country but I disagree with having a wind farm on a site and, therefore, I totally agree with locating wind farms offshore.

When the Minister was here a number of months ago, I asked for support for a number of projects that were put forward to create employment in County Longford, particularly in Lanesborough and the surrounding area. I thank him for his commitment because all of the projects were funded up to the value sought. It is most welcome that extra money was found on top of the €11 million allocation to make sure that all of the projects can proceed. It was a very good day for us in County Longford to see that commitment and funding and supports being provided to enable the projects to go ahead, thus ensuring that anyone who lost his or her job with the ESB and Bord na Móna will be re-employed. The allocation shows the Government's commitment to the areas that suffered following the closure of the plants. Senator Dolan's comment that agriculture has to be part of the solution was 100% correct. I firmly believe that. There is a fear that farm income will be decimated but I believe there are ways of maintaining or increasing it. By working together with the agriculture sector, it can be part of the system.

I would like to get a commitment to the effect that the M4 will continue. It is the last link in connectivity around the country. When looking at a map of Ireland, we see the need for a link from Mullingar towards Sligo to give access to our major cities.

We spoke about rural Ireland and the lack of rural transport. Maybe an Uber-type system of transport could be used, especially in the more rural areas. We cannot have a system with buses servicing every small lane in rural Ireland. This is a matter that could be worked on.

I thank the Minister for his commitment, particularly to those of us in the midlands, and I also thank him for the significant funds that have been put in place to help to create more jobs in our area.