This is the umpteenth time I have brought up with the Taoiseach and Ministers in this House the neglect of Rosslare Europort and the lack of any financial input from this Government or previous governments during the 30 years I spent in the haulage industry and the 17 months I have spent in this House. All parties in the House agree that Rosslare Europort is Ireland's most strategic port. All parties agree that it is being neglected, has been neglected and is in dire need of investment. All parties agree that the port has seen a 400% increase in traffic, taking Ireland's valuable imports and exports to and from the EU mainland, since the inception of Brexit. The Government has not provided one penny in assistance. In the teeth of a housing crisis, when the costs of building material imports are rising by the minute, it makes perfect sense for such materials to arrive at the closest point on this island, which is Rosslare Europort. For hauliers, the very serious lack of drivers is causing great problems. Ireland will ultimately end up not being able to compete on a European and world stage as a result. I ask that this be considered with regard to the direct mainland routes that have been made viable by Rosslare Europort's development of them.

We have spent taxpayers' money to make it the most accessible port in the country. The Government intends to spend €500 million of taxpayers' money on a planned upgrade to complete the M11 from Oilgate to Rosslare. Why? From the day I first set foot in this House, I have spoken about the need for joined-up thinking when spending taxpayers' money to give the taxpayer absolute value for money. If we have spent €500 million bypassing New Ross and Enniscorthy and intend to spend another €500 million to complete the M11, surely the Government cannot deny that to establish a wind farm construction base project anywhere but Rosslare would be a waste of taxpayers' money. Giving the taxpayer value for money is what we are elected to do. Giving double the bang for the taxpayers' buck would be a common-sense approach for the Government to take.

Some 30 years ago, the entrepreneur Liam Griffin had the foresight to ask the then Government to invest in Rosslare Europort. He outlined the port's potential at the time but that Government did not listen. Is this Government listening now? Upgrading Rosslare Europort is in the country's best interest. It is the kind of common-sense measure that makes economic sense and results in value for money that people want to see from the Government. Does the Taoiseach have that common sense? When will moneys be invested in Rosslare, which is in the country's best interests?

I thank Deputy Verona Murphy for raising this issue in respect of Rosslare. I hope I do have that common sense.

The Taoiseach does not have half as much as I do.

Who could have as much common sense as the Deputy? In the context of Brexit, the importance of Rosslare Europort is very evident. It has given us capacity and flexibility in dealing with the Brexit situation. Another area in which there is potential relates to the development of port facilities to facilitate renewable wind energy generation offshore. We have now developed the maritime planning framework and the maritime area planning Bill 2021. This really sends a strong signal to investors. Government policy is now to have one proper streamlined planning process for offshore wind facilities. That creates opportunities for Rosslare and other ports, although Rosslare is particularly well placed on the east coast in that regard. The Minister, Deputy Eamon Ryan, is making a lot of progress on the offshore electricity transmission system and the renewable electricity support scheme. We are looking at developments in those areas in the context of Rosslare Europort.

As I have said, the port has responded very well to Brexit and to the impacts of Covid-19. The shipping operators have demonstrated their capacity to respond quickly and to move capacity to where it has been sought by businesses in Ireland, in the United Kingdom and on the Continent. Due to Brexit, Rosslare Europort has seen the largest growth of any port in the number of direct European services with sailings increasing from three a week to 14 return journeys, or 28 journeys in total, weekly. The strategic development plans of Iarnród Éireann and Rosslare Europort for the port include a planned investment of €42 million in customer facilities, port infrastructure, freight facilities, port assets, new technology and linking the new entrance to the port with the proposed new port access road. Clearance works commenced in late 2020 and are scheduled to continue over a number of years in a number of phases. Rosslare Europort is reporting that these works are well under way.

I have already instanced the development of offshore renewable energy generation. The Department of Transport met with Iarnród Éireann and Rosslare Europort on 1 July to explore the potential for European Union funding for the port under the Connecting Europe Facility, CEF, which provides funding for offshore wind energy facilities. The first call for applications under the CEF is expected in September 2021. There is potential for up to 50% of eligible costs for studies and up to the 30% of infrastructural work costs to be funded. Iarnród Éireann and Rosslare Europort are looking at the funding opportunities under the CEF. It is their intention to apply for funding for eligible works and studies in September. The Government will be supporting them in that regard. The Irish Maritime Development Office is carrying out consultations with the renewables sector. There is a lot of interest in this space. I will come back to the Deputy on this in my supplementary response.

I thank the Taoiseach. I understand he may hope to have common sense but he must take on board what is at stake here for the country. This port is regarded as probably the most strategic port not only in Ireland but in Ireland and the UK. It services Northern Ireland and has kept it in the Single Market. Northern Ireland businesses access this port. It has never received a shilling from any government, including this Government, in over 40 years. I spoke with Glenn Carr, the manager of Rosslare Europort, and he told me there is a meeting. That meeting is only to say that the money that can be accessed from a European fund is being looked at. Everything is too slow. In March of this year, the Minister of State, Deputy Naughton, told me that a process was to be set up which would outline where submissions regarding wind farm projects and wind farm construction base projects were to go. Nothing has happened on that front. We do not have time. I reiterate that the taxpayer should, and must, get value for money. We can get double the bang for the taxpayers' buck by investing in Rosslare without making matters subject to competition.

That meeting is important because it can open the door and create a pathway for an application for significant funding, which would be backed by the State, from the CEF. The Department of Transport has been in touch with the European Commission seeking to negotiate changes to the criteria for this facility which would allow for EU funding for basic port infrastructure with a view to improving connectivity and for port infrastructure for offshore wind generation in the CEF's next programme, which is to run from 2021 to 2023. That programme will be adopted this month and this will allow ports, including Rosslare Europort, to apply for CEF funding. As I said earlier, we are very conscious of the potential of Rosslare Europort. Some investment in infrastructure has happened because of Brexit, as the Deputy will know. The key point is that the post-Brexit scenario has been positive for Rosslare. The offshore wind issue also presents significant potential.