John Cummins (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I congratulate the organisers of the Tricolour celebrations in my county, Waterford, over the weekend. It was fantastic on Sunday to have seven ambassadors in Waterford city, along with the Taoiseach, to celebrate the first flying of the Tricolour at 33 The Mall in Waterford city in 1848 by Thomas Francis Meaghar. There was also an event in the SETU Arena, a fantastic occasion where the Leas-Chathaoirleach presented the Tricolour to schoolchildren from throughout the country. The meaning, the understanding and the respect in which we should hold our Tricolour were emphasised by the Chief of Staff of the Defence Forces, Seán Clancy, at a dinner on Saturday night, when he spoke about its importance and that of the lineage of Óglaigh na hÉireann, and some Members of this House and the other House might want to take a history lesson from him in that regard.

I acknowledge the significant work that over recent years went into the North Quays project, which I have spoken about on a number of occasions in this House. Yesterday, the groundbreaking ceremony was held in Waterford and the Taoiseach and the Ministers for Housing, Local Government and Heritage, and Transport attended. There is a €170.6 million investment in that project to unlock that site for a further €300 million in private sector investment, something that will change the face of Waterford city for the better over the coming years. It is a fantastic vote of confidence in Waterford. I acknowledge we had a debate on Project Ireland 2040 last Wednesday but, unfortunately, I could not be here. It would be useful if there were a quarterly debate in the House on Project Ireland 2040. There are many moving parts and many Departments are involved, so if that could be taken on board as a suggestion, I would appreciate it.