Jerry Buttimer (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the Minister and I wish him well in his brief. His stewardship of the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform will be judged not on his current actions, but his future actions. The majority of us in this Chamber today are not from Dublin. There is an over-reliance on Dublin in this country that needs to be addressed. That would be the Minister's legacy, in part. The national development plan is, as stated by IBEC, a growth enabler for the regions, be that Cork, Roscommon, Limerick, Galway or Waterford. We must ensure that the regions prosper. The Minister and I come from Cork, which is projected to be the fastest growing metropolitan area in the country. Building on the announcements of the urban regeneration development fund last weekend, we must ensure that the building blocks are put in place. Central to that work is the airport in Cork in terms of connectivity and the enhancement and attraction of foreign direct investment. Also, provision must be made for multiannual funding for the airport and we must collectively support the development of the new runway.

Many of us approach the Minister with the begging bowl in terms of projects north, south, east and west. If money is to be cornerstone of what we are at, then it is all for nothing. We must ensure that we build sustainable communities for people. Developing on the trend of Senator Byrne, never before has a national development plan been so important. It is not about being ambitious; it is about the necessity of the plan for our people. In a post-Brexit, post-Covid-19 world there must be new synergies developed and new partnerships created with local government at the centre. I ask the Minister to challenge and reclaim government for the politicians at urban, local, rural, central level. Let Government reclaim from the civil servants the role of Ministers and parliamentarians, delivering for our local authority members. We must develop a new country, as already articulated.

Today, councillors are working on city and county development plans. I appeal to the Minister and to all members of Government to give them the pay rise. Let us give them the proper remuneration for the job they do. The Minister was previously a member of a local authority, as were many of us in this Chamber. We must not allow politics at local or national level to be for the chosen few. It must be open to everybody. The Minister is a person of incredible sincerity and integrity. We can make a lasting impression on the next generation in what we do today. I wish the Minister well. He has my full support.

This is the most important debate we will have in the Seanad, in my opinion. I accept this is not the fault of the Acting Chairperson, Senator McGahon, but to shoehorn it into a two-hour debate such that what many of us have to say must be condensed into six minutes is not acceptable. It is important to make that point.