Nessa Cosgrove (Labour) | Oireachtas source

Given that the Minister of State is a west of Ireland man, he will have great emphasis on regional development. Atlantic Technological University has been one of the most outstanding successes in the north west in recent times in tying together the campuses of Sligo, Mayo and Donegal. This has created a truly world-class university in the heart of the north west. This achievement must be followed by infrastructure that will reverse the decline experienced by the north west in recent years. I know many other Senators referenced this, particularly those from the west and the north west.

The decline of the north west is not just a theoretical trope trotted out by the Opposition parties, as is very obvious here today. It is sadly a hard reality. In 2019, the EU downgraded the north-west region from being more developed to being a region in transition and in 2022, downgraded it to a lagging region. I know the Minister of State is aware of this. This means that the people in Sligo, Leitrim and Donegal have a lower GDP than most people in the EU. It means that productivity and average educational attainment are lower than in other parts of the country - even on the Continent - even though the region is so rich in natural resources, creativity and talent. Community-based entrepreneurs and the food and agriculture sectors are the lifeblood of our economy but if we are to make the most of these enterprises, they need to be supported by infrastructure and investment, which can only come from the Fianna Fáil-Fine Gael-Independent Government and must be delivered through stronger, better-resourced and more democratically accountable local authorities, a topic we have discussed many times in this House. Developments like the western rail corridor, which links Sligo to Mayo and Galway and will, hopefully, be extended to Donegal, must become part of the national development plan. They could be transformative and deliver real social and economic change at a fraction of the cost of metro north. If the Government is genuine about committing to regional development, it is essential that upgrades to the N17, N59 and N15 are done if our region is supposed to grow.

Unbalanced regional development is not accidental. It is the logical conclusion of policies that for decades have treated our public as a group of city states with investment and development concentrated particularly around Dublin and its hinterland. That is very obvious today with the protest from the Raise the Roof campaign. Dublin is bursting at the seams. A visible and illustrative example of this is the ongoing humanitarian disaster of defective concrete blocks. While we all welcome the new redress scheme, we need to ensure that the details match the need for 100% redress for all affected homes. Unbalanced development is not even good for people who receive a disproportionate size of the pie. It drives economic overheating, inequality and societal breakdown and we all see this every day, particularly those of us who come up to Dublin from the country. Genuinely balanced regional development leads to a fairer, more equitable and more prosperous future for everyone. I hope we can work together with the Minister to ensure there is true regional development, particularly in the north and west.