Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

It is absolutely the job of every Deputy to fight their corner for their county and for their region, and I do not have any difficulty with the Deputy doing so but it is worth putting on the record of the House the considerable investment that has happened in the south east under this and the previous Governments, and investment that is ongoing and to come, for example, the long-awaited North Quays development now under way. More than €200 million worth of taxpayers’ money is being invested in that project, building a whole new quarter for Waterford city, one that will help to transform the city into an even larger population centre and business centre for the south east. I am really glad that is finally under way.

There has been considerable investment in University Hospital Waterford, one of the best performing hospitals now in the country. It is under a lot of pressure now because of Wexford hospital but that will pass, and it will be back to performing the way it was until recently. There is also the Dunmore Wing, the second cath lab and, of course, more investments to come. I know the Deputy has engaged with my office on that and we are working on further investment for the hospital.

The long-awaited university for the south east now exists in the form of the South East Technological University. We are purchasing the Waterford Crystal site to make sure we can expand student services further in Waterford. As for the engineering building, we anticipate having approval on that this year and I am very keen to make sure it is over the line as soon as possible.

We have also seen considerable investment in the road network in the south east. There is already a very good road between Dublin and Waterford and we have upgraded the road in New Ross, for example, and the Enniscorthy bypass. In addition, one of the biggest investments taking place in the State is going to be in the south-east as well, and that is Rosslare Port, again with more than €200 million only approved by the Cabinet the other day to build up that port and to invest in it for the future.

I am also seeing a huge amount of private sector investment in the south east that really encourages me, and some big job announcements, for example, in Kilkenny city, with nearly 1,000 multinational jobs announced in the last year or so, and something similar in Waterford city as well. It is only fair to put on the record of the House that a huge amount of public and private sector investment is going into the region and I believe there is more to come.

In relation to the airport, we have made a commitment to fund the airport so we can have flights between Waterford and Britain again. I want that to happen. The deal was that we would match the funding from the private sector. Now, the cost of the project has gone up again. It is not unusual for that to happen but there has to be an engagement now as to whether we can find more money both from the public purse and the private purse to make that development happen, which is one I am very keen to see happen.

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