Last Monday week, Cork County Council published findings from a comprehensive independent report compiled by the All-Island Research Observatory at Maynooth University. This research proves that County Cork has been underfunded by successive Governments for decades. The independent report states clearly that Cork County Council have received the lowest CLÁR funding per capita in spite of having the highest population. The report states that we have the fourth lowest LEADER funding in spite of being the largest county. It also states that County Cork gets the lowest share of grants and on this point states that it got a very significant shortfall in rural regeneration funds, town and village funds, local improvement scheme, LIS, funding and greenway funding. The report shockingly states that Cork county roads will need €750 million just to catch up with the rest of the country. We have now fallen 52 years behind other counties, a point I have consistently raised here. County Cork has been treated appallingly by successive Governments and this independent report proves it. I asked the Taoiseach for a task force to deal with underfunding in County Cork a number of months ago, which he refused. I ask again whether he will set up a task force. Will he also consider launching an independent investigation as to why Departments have been found to underfund County Cork?

I have not seen that report and I do not buy it, by the way. People can commission reports to get the outcomes that they might want. I have not seen it and I would like to see at first. Yesterday there was a very significant announcement for Cork in the National Recovery and Resilience Plan 2021 in respect of public transport. The urban regeneration and development fund allocation has been substantial. I will have to see that report to analyse it. No one in Cork County Council has approached me about it from officialdom nor has this been consistently articulated at all down through the years.

By the way, to wrap up, I checked with my two offices and they did not get any calls from the Deputy last week.

On a point of order, excuse me, that is a disgraceful comment. I can prove it from the records of my phone that I rang the Taoiseach’s office in Dublin last Friday. He also misled the Dáil yesterday by saying that I rang him looking for favours from him as I never did. He will have to prove that but this matter is going through the Ceann Comhairle’s office at the moment.

Please, Deputy Collins. I call Deputy Aindrias Moynihan.