My question relates to Intel and its shortlisting of Oranmore in Galway as a possible location for a multimillion euro manufacturing facility. I am envious of Leixlip in County Kildare when the Taoiseach talks about the number of construction workers alone operating there. The proposal for a facility in Oranmore would create 10,000 jobs in the region. It has also highlighted the potential and attractiveness we have in the west and north and how we can make sure we are prepared to take on this opportunity infrastructure-wise.

The EU recently categorised the north and west of this country as a region in transition, a lagging industrial region and a moderate innovator. This was done on the basis of measuring our performance in that area. There are eight counties involved, including Cavan, which is the county represented by the Minister sitting beside the Taoiseach, as well as Monaghan, Donegal and the five counties in Connacht. A project of the size proposed by Intel will demand that we have support coming into that site in Oranmore, if it comes, and, if it does not come, some other company will come and do it. We need to have the supports in place to deliver the services, construction and workforce to make sure this project, if it comes or there is another of the same scale, will be transformative for the west of Ireland.

With the national development plan being looked at currently - I understand the process is called Review to Renew - it is important we take into account where we are in that region and the infrastructure we need to make sure it can reach its full potential. It has the attractiveness but it needs a lot more than that. We need to provide the infrastructure and the wastewater facilities in the east of County Galway that are required and being promoted by Galway County Council. We need to provide the outer ring road in Galway city to make sure people can move around the city and get into it. We must ensure all the workers coming from the east of the county, where my constituency is, can get into work. More importantly, we also have to look at what other infrastructure is required. Phases 1 and 2 of the western rail corridor are waiting to be done. They would link in Castlebar, Ballina and Westport, as well as Limerick, to support a project such as the one that is proposed. I ask the Taoiseach to consider all of that.

The last point I raise is that we need to create that attractiveness for people to come, live, work and enjoy life in the region. We also must put in place a proper, structured cancer care centre for the region. We need to make sure it has a full research and innovation structure within it. It is important that Ireland be at the heart of the European Beating Cancer Plan.

I thank the Deputy for raising this issue.

The first point I would like to make is the Government is very committed to regional development and to reorientating the economic development of the country, rebalancing it and making sure we get greater activity across the regions generally and particularly the west and north west. The Deputy referenced one plant. That is an ongoing issue the company itself will determine but it is interesting from an industrial policy point of view that we are saying to a lot of companies that are investing in Ireland to consider the regions and that we can help to assemble land banks to facilitate significant industrial development.

The Deputy referenced the Minister seated beside me, Deputy Humphreys. More than €42 million has been allocated from the Department of Rural and Community Development. Under the rural regeneration development fund, Portumna received approximately €2.5 million in funding for a project that will redevelop the historic courthouse building and courtyard in the town. In the context of the national development plan, we are very conscious of the issues that have been raised, especially relating to the western rail corridor. All of the Deputies in the House, cross-party, have been in touch in respect of this and, obviously, the Ministers from the region have also. I know the Minister, Deputy McGrath, is fully aware of the desire of all Oireachtas representatives to have that developed.

As the Deputy is aware, the Minister, Deputy Ryan, has launched a strategic rail review that will examine all aspects of interurban and interregional rail and will be conducted on an all-island basis in full co-operation with the Department for Infrastructure in Northern Ireland. It will provide a strategic backdrop to investment in our rail network for the next 20 years and more, and it will consider the potential of currently lightly used lines like Limerick to Waterford, disused lines like the western rail corridor, and the potential for new alignments. The review has just commenced and will be completed within 12 months. As I say, there is considerable advocacy on behalf of this corridor from all of the Ministers and Deputies representing the western region and we will, obviously, continue to pursue that in the context of the national development plan.

I point out the Minister of State, Deputy Troy, is spearheading the development of a new west regional enterprise plan. It is a bottom-up plan that was developed by regional stakeholders, including the local authorities, enterprise agencies, local enterprise offices, regional skills forums and education and training institutes in each region. Under the regional enterprise development fund and the Border enterprise development fund, about €16.7 million has now been allocated to approximately nine enterprise-focused projects for the region. We will continue, in the context of all the various initiatives under different Departments, to advance the economic development of the west and we fully take on board the points raised in respect of the necessity to do that and the importance of the western rail corridor in that context.

I thank the Taoiseach. We need a bit more in the west than just a desire to do something. We need a commitment on it. It is very important that a commitment is made. As the Taoiseach stated, politically, everybody wants to do the rail network. It is actually part of our climate action plan to make sure transportation and production within plants are all done in a way that saves on CO2 emissions. The most important and pertinent point, however, is that when a global company such as Intel puts out a finger and states that, out of ten places worldwide, it is looking at Galway and the west of Ireland, we should consider what it would mean if it did come to the region. We must consider what needs to be done to make sure that if it does come, we are ready to support it and make sure it is viable. If it does not come, we have to make sure that we are ready for the next global organisation to look at the region. We have already had the case of Apple, which was attracted to Athenry and still is. There are a significant number of medical technology companies in Galway, but what is happening is that every one of those workers coming in from the east of the county has to travel to work by road. We are talking about taking cars and lorries off the roads. We have an ideal opportunity with the western rail corridor to make sure we deliver the goods and services to Intel in a way that meets our climate action plan as well. It is ready to be done. No planning permission or anything else is needed. It would be a good stamp for this Government to put desire into action and to get it going.

First of all, as I said earlier, it is not by accident that they are looking at the west. There is a strong proactive Government approach to encouraging investment into the regions where that is possible and where we can facilitate it. That is a very important point. I take the Deputy's point in terms of railways more generally. In the context of climate action, the climate change agenda and the necessity to decarbonise, railways will have a much more important role now and into the future. In that context, the Minister has commissioned the all-island strategic rail review, which will set out the map, as it were, and the plans, followed by the allocation of resources to get such projects under way.

As the Deputy is aware, the Department of Rural and Community Development is funding the Western Development Commission in respect of regional remote working hubs, which are important in building up the human capital skills base to facilitate smaller enterprises as well as creating the overall capacity so that the requisite skill sets are there when bigger players come into the region. For us now, it is about getting these projects delivered. The resources are being allocated to do so.