Matt Shanahan: Says Waterford Still Waiting on 2017 Promises

Ciancola, Tanaiste, do you remember saying that, so long as I am Taoiseach, Waterford will not be neglected, or forgotten? And that you considered Waterford as the litmus test for a republic of opportunity, where every part of the country has an equal chance to share in our country's prosperity. These words were not said in the Sturm und Drang of an election campaign, rather they were said a few weeks after you became Taoiseach, in the summer of 2017, and what was probably your first visit outside Dublin. What was really amazing about that speech was that you perfectly formulated the tough predicament of the region, and the practical impact of years of political neglect. You saw what was happening, you promised change. Most people in Waterford know your Bosch and Llam's speech very well, Tarniste. It really is the hope that kills. Budget 2022 is being framed at the moment, as is the review of the Ireland 2040 capital projects. The last Ireland 2040 capital projects spreadsheet listed 96 significant capital projects projected to cost 10.2 billion euro, which I brought up with you, Tarniste, in the House some months ago. Just four of these projects were located in the southeast, with just 304 million of the total expenditure. Just under 10% of our population lives in the southeast, a fair share would be nine projects, a fair share would be 907 million euro. Unfortunately, Tarniste, we are still awaiting the sunny uplands that you foresaw in 2017. We are still awaiting the 24-7 cardiac care that you had hoped was imminent. Still awaiting the national recognition of health inequality being waged on vulnerable and acutely sick southeast cardiac patients. No mind to the higher education investment the PPP building promised, postponed yet again. No mention of any other main investment in the campus of the new TU. Not even remediation monies to stop the rainwater presently entering the engineering building roof. Everyone is worried that our search and rescue helicopter service will be pulled and our airport shuttered. That our hospital is still suffering under the yoke of Cork politics. And the white-hot idea in Sláinte care was to throw us to the Dublin Wolves. A lot of southeast hope hangs Tarniste on the revised capital plan. I hope that we will not continue to be disappointed. Thank you Deputy, Tarniste. Thanks Deputy, I remember that speech well and I remember visiting Boschland-Lom that day and it was a very positive day. We were renouncing additional jobs for the region and those jobs have been delivered and they have happened. In the past couple of years I think there have been some very significant and some very positive developments for Waterford. Which I know the Deputy will acknowledge. We have made some real progress on developing a technological university for the southeast centred on Waterford. I'm hopeful, if not confident, that it's only a matter of months before that designation can happen. I think that's really important and will make a real difference not just for Waterford City but also for the southeast as a whole. We have seen the opening of the Dunmore Wing in the hospital, one of only four hospitals in the country that had a major extension in the past three or four years. Waterford University Hospital was one of those with the Dunmore Wing which is a very significant addition to services at the hospital. We have had the commitment of nearly €30 million to the North Quays, I know a project to which you and Senator Cummins and Minister Butler are very committed to and I'm glad that allocation has been made and that can be transformative for the city. We have also seen some very significant job creation led by the IDA in the past couple of years, a 24% increase in the number of IDA jobs in the past four or five years. In the southeast, nearly 1,000 IDA jobs announced between Wexford, Waterford and Kilkenny only in the last year. So I think there is some significant progress that has been made. An allocation, as you know, was made to the airport but for reasons beyond the control of government. It's not been possible for the airport to draw that down. And crucially, the Sonja Care Regional Integrated Care Organisations, which have been signed off by government and were signed off by government in 2019, re-established the southeast, if you like, as a regional integrated care organisation area. And that's something that I strongly support. In relation to the analysis that you raised, I've read that analysis, I'm familiar with it. I think it's incomplete because it discounts and counts for nothing certain projects. It doesn't count the National Broadband Plan, for example. And I don't know how much of the National Broadband Plan is being invested in County Waterford, but I think it's a pretty significant amount. And I can check that. But that analysis doesn't take account of that, for example. It also discounts any investments that are, I think, less than 25 or 20 million. And, of course, an analysis that does that is going to skew investment towards the big cities where the big projects happen. In a lot of counties, and in counties with lower populations in Dublin and Cork, the projects are smaller. There are 5 million projects, 10 million projects, 15 million projects. And in that analysis, they're counted as nothing. And I think that's incorrect. It's almost like saying that if money goes to a sports club or a community centre or to a small bypass, that it doesn't count. And I think that analysis, therefore, is flawed. Thank you, Thornishter, for your response. But I have to say I don't accept it. It would be very helpful to see proper granular data on capital spending. And to that purpose, after our last engagement on this subject, I did ask the Oireachtas Library and Research Services, who do really excellent work, to look at this and to prepare a report to see where public money goes. But believe it or not, Thornishter, they could not provide me with the analysis because they do not have access to the data. So it is very hard not to reach the conclusion that the vast bulk of this discretionary capital spending is being funneled into Dublin and Cork, home to almost all of our ministers. I am not sure, are you aware of the list of projects that are being funded? Very large projects that you've mentioned. The Children's Hospital, the Metrolink, Ringsend Water Supplies, the M20 Limerick to Cork at 1 billion. These are really large state-scale projects, Thornishter. We are not seeing them. Most of our projects have been knocking around Dublin for more than a decade now, on action and slow walked. Meanwhile, Cork and Dublin are on to the next new shiny thing. It is heartbreaking, to be honest, Thornishter. Thornishter. Thanks, Deputy. The M20 project between Limerick and Cork is one that I strongly support, and I know you do too. But it is important to bear in mind that there have been very significant motorway projects that benefit Waterford. The Dublin to Waterford motorway is complete. It was done before the Cork-Limerick one, and just in recent times we've done EUROS. And EUROS obviously is a particular benefit to Wexford, but is a benefit to Waterford as well. Perhaps what I can help the Deputy with is some of that granular data. I'd be happy to provide it to his office. But just to give a few examples, 1.2 million under the Regional Regeneration Fund in County Waterford, mainly going to Kappa Quinn. 10.63 million in the Transformation Fund for the Tech University of the South-East, bringing the total allocation for that to 14.33 million. And as I mentioned earlier, almost 13 million allocated to the North East project, which I know we're strong supporters of. And of course, the Cat Lab now is very much underway, and I know the Deputy has worked very hard on that and is very committed to it. But I do want to say that obviously, when it does come to putting the NDP review together, that we will proof it. And we'll make sure that every region in Ireland gets a fair share of investment. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.