Lisa Chambers (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I agree with the Order of Business.

I welcome this morning the announcement for the country regarding the regional and local roads funding. I welcome in particular the announcement for my county, Mayo, where over €33 million has been allocated to maintain roads. This may seem like an insignificant news story to some, but I reiterate how important this is for a county such as Mayo. I wish to highlight two projects in particular. The first is the allocation of over €850,000 to the R312. For those not familiar with this road, it is the road connecting Belmullet to Castlebar town. It is the road that that community and people on the peninsula use to access Mayo General Hospital. People have been campaigning for improvements to the road for more than 20 years. This is a really important funding announcement for the community, and I cannot overstate how happy people are to see that amount of money going into that roads project. Second is the R332, which is the road from Kilmaine to Tuam. Again, for the information of those not familiar with the road, since the opening of the new M17 motorway, this is the route that people in south Mayo now use to access the motorway to get to Dublin and other parts of the country. It is a small regional road that has not been fit to take the capacity that has been on it for the past two years. Again, it is a really welcome announcement for south Mayo and the surrounding area. I also welcome the €69,000 for roads in the town of Killala. It is a huge amount of money for a small regional town. The significance of these announcements for the communities in question should not be underestimated.

The second issue I wish to raise is the national development plan and the review under way, that is, the consultation process with the public. It is due to close this Friday, 19 February. The date was extended. This is an opportunity for citizens right across the country to have their say in the national development plan and how we plan, fund and spend our resources across every strand of Irish life, from housing to education, roads, infrastructure, communications and local amenities. Since the onset of the pandemic, we have had a huge shift in working life and the use of public spaces and local amenities. I urge all citizens, particularly those in my community in County Mayo and right across the western seaboard, to have their say.People will be aware that the west and north-west region was downgraded to a region in transition by the European Commission. We need to adjust and fix that imbalance which currently exists. That is why I am calling for positive discrimination to be shown towards the west and north-west regions in this review to ensure we fix the current imbalance. We must ensure the west and north west region reverts from region in transition status to a region that is developed in line with the rest of the country. Our national development plan should reflect that. I urge citizens right across the region to have their say, make submissions by this Friday and make a case for the west and north west.

Finally, I welcome the publication today by Early Childhood Ireland of its Childcare Barometer 2021. Two key findings were that 70% of those surveyed want to see funding for childcare services maintained and increased to ensure they can open during the pandemic and, most important, 73% of respondents indicated the terms of employment for childcare workers should reflect their qualifications. Many such workers have level 7 and 8 qualifications and are earning minimum wage or just above it. That needs to change. The pandemic has shown us how valuable our early years sector is and how much we need to improve conditions for those working in it.

I thank the Cathaoirleach for his latitude.