Lack of investment in Wexford highlighted
COUNTY Wexford is one of the most underprivileged areas of the country, Independent Deputy Mick Wallace told the Dáil. ‘Our unemployment rate is still 14%,’ he said. ‘We have significant challenges around mental health and all the other social problems that go with it. In terms of deprivation, we are in the top three, with Donegal and Longford. We do not see proactive Government action to address the problems in these places.’
Speaking during the debate on Budget 19, he said he was amused to hear the Minister, Paschal Donohoe, say that there was €587 million to be invested in the ports in Ireland, Dublin, Cork, Shannon and Foynes, to enhance national and international connectivity. ‘The Minister also told us that the Government is bulletproof ready for Brexit,’ he said. ‘Has the Government heard of a place called Rosslare, because there is a port down there? It is the nearest port to Europe.’
After the Brexit vote in 2016, Deputy Wallace said there was a study set up at the Irish Maritime Development Office to look at the use of the UK land bridge. The purpose of the report was to establish the volume of traffic using the UK land bridge currently, the potential consequences that Brexit will have on land-bridge usage and the various alternative options that may be viable. ‘Two and half years later, there is still no report,’ he said. ‘Does the Government give a damn? It would be such a lift if there was State investment in Rosslare. The Government was happy for Irish Rail still to own the place and bleed it of the profits every year. There has been no investment in it for years. It could make a big difference to Wexford but I do not see any appetite for or interest in it.’
Deputy Wallace pointed to the small village of Duncannon in the south of Wexford. ‘The residents there have been on to me for a couple of years about a footpath of 300m that they want to extend from the playground to the village,’ he said. ‘It would also connect to a housing estate with 56 houses. The road there is really dangerous. If there is a person walking on the road and two cars meet, one of the cars has to stop for fear of hitting him or her. When the local authority is asked why it will not build the footpath, it states honestly that it does not have the money. Given that the local authorities are totally dependent on central government for money, the Government would give them money for such projects if it actually cared about rural areas. It is not giving enough.’
Speaking in the Seanad, Minister of State Michael D’Arcy said in order to help address the real problems young people have in buying a home, the Government has allocated €89 million to the serviced sites fund.
‘This will be followed by further funding in 2020 and 2021, bringing total funding available under the fund to €310 million,’ he said. ‘This funding is being provided to local authorities to deliver low cost affordable housing. It will provide for a discount of up to €50,000 per affordable home and will support the delivery of approximately 6,000 affordable homes over the lifetime of the fund.’