Drogheda project funding
Deputy Munster criticised Project Ireland 2040 as offering no concrete commitments for Drogheda on major infrastructure and investment needs. The Tánaiste said the town would benefit from the wider €116 billion programme but refused to go into individual projects on the floor of the House.
Last Friday, the Minister for Business, Enterprise and Innovation, Deputy Humphreys, and an entourage of other Ministers visited Drogheda. Deputy O'Dowd was in tow for the photo opportunity. They were launching Project Ireland 2040 and they each arrived with one arm as long as the other. There was no firm commitment to anything for Drogheda in the plan - not to fund the northern cross route, not to remove the slip road toll on the town, not to reinstate the town clerk position, which the Government removed, and not to provide an IDA-designated site for inward investment. There was nothing other than spin, spoof and photographs. What does the Government's plan have for Drogheda other than third tier status?
Comment on this
We have had many opportunities to debate the Project Ireland 2040 and how we will spend €116 billion over the next ten years to make that a reality. Like many towns, cities and other urban centres, Drogheda stands to benefit significantly from that level of investment.