Under the current national planning framework, the Government has committed to achieving a 50-50 split in population growth between the eastern and midlands region and the other two regions, namely the northern and western region and the southern region. However, based on the latest population statistics from the CSO, 55% of population growth has taken place in the eastern and midlands region. Much of that growth has been overly concentrated in the greater Dublin area. Consequently, population growth has been much lower in the northern and western region. These population trends are leading to increasingly greater regional imbalances.

So many of my contributions to Leaders' Questions over the past four years have focused on the growing regional imbalances during the lifetime of successive Governments. I have quoted pretty shocking disparities in GDP, household income and healthcare, but today I will concentrate on two issues further contributing to a widening of those regional gaps. I refer to housing completions and the gap in infrastructural spending. Failures in many sectors I have mentioned before and the ones I am mentioning today contribute to the fact the Government is failing to meet its commitment to a 50-50 split in population growth between the regions.

In regard to spending on major infrastructural projects, the EU Commission regional competitiveness index ranks the northern and western region's infrastructure at 218th out of 243 regions. We are in the bottom 10% of all EU regions. Why is this the case? A few months ago, Dr. Ray Griffin, speaking at the relevant committee, said he had done significant work on capital trackers, that is, tracking major capital spending. As the Taoiseach knows, it is difficult to do that in real time. However, Dr. Griffin's first-generation analysis shows 64% of capital spending on major projects goes to Dublin. On a second iteration, he revised that to 56%, but it is still a 2:1 ratio. That answers the question as to why.

In regard to regional housing activity, the picture is awful. In January, the CSO released the 2023 data on new dwelling completions in Ireland. Some 11% of those were in the northern and western region, yet we have 17% of the population. A further 24% were in the southern region, which has 33% of the population. Some 65% were in the eastern and midlands region, which has 40% of the population. Under this Government and those that preceded it, regional imbalances are escalating across one sector after another. What does the Taoiseach propose to do to change that direction of travel?

I thank the Deputy for raising this question. Before I had this role, I used to take Leaders' Questions on an interim basis. On foot of that, I know that this is an issue the Deputy raises on a regular basis. I accept her sincerity and bona fides in respect of this matter.

I will begin by pointing to some areas we have made progress on. When we talk about population and where we want people to live, we must recognise that people have a say in this too. We have to make it easy for people to want to live, study and work in the regions. We can set targets nationally and use funding but ultimately we have to win hearts and minds and make sure young people living in Sligo believe young people can continue to live, raise a family, have a job and access a university in Sligo. We also want people from other parts of the country to want to live in Sligo. We have taken a number of steps in recent times. The Deputy and I worked together on the Atlantic Technological University. She was a big supporter of that project. The university has made a real difference because people can now pursue their PhDs in Sligo. There is now a big university in the north west that can interlock with Ulster University's Magee campus in Derry. That will be a game-changer. I accept that there is work to do, and we will talk more about the technological university. However, the technological university is an example of our commitment to regional development. Not only does such development help keep young people in the regions longer, it also helps to attract investment. When the Deputy or I talk to any company looking to invest in a certain part of Ireland, access to a university in a region is a big consideration. The north west did not have one, but it now does. That happened under this Government, which is worth stating.

On a community level, the Deputy would nearly blush if she looked at what Sligo got for community centres compared with my constituency. In Sligo, Government funding for two new community centres were announced this week, one in Ballymote and one in Kilglass. That is direct investment by the Government, as Deputy Feighan reminds me, in Sligo. That is important.

In the context of the local improvement scheme and roads, we have seen more investment. In that context, €1.1 million was announced for Sligo County Council in the past week. Those are practical examples.

I take the Deputy's point and I do not disagree when she says that we need to do more when it comes to balanced regional development because it is good for all of the country. It is also good for Dublin to have balanced regional development. We have had an over-concentration of growth in certain parts of the country.

When we look at jobs, there are encouraging signs. We have seen 90,000 jobs created in the past year, about 1,700 per week. Around 10,000 of those jobs were in the Border region, including Sligo.

How do we take this forward? We take it forward through the first revision of the national planning framework. I will work with colleagues in the House, including those across the floor, in respect of that. We will publish a draft of that revision this summer, and there will be an opportunity for the Deputy and others to make a submission on practical measures to help get to the 50-50 split we wish to see. The population has grown much more quickly than anticipated and it is now clear we will have to target significant growth in the regions. I suggest that the 55-45 split has probably been somewhat distorted by the significant and unexpected population growth since the national planning framework was last published.

I thank the Taoiseach. He spoke of people wanting to work, study and live in the regions and of winning hearts and minds. What he needs to do is build houses. Stop talking about hearts and minds or community centres here and there, although the latter are welcome and great to see. I am talking about the big-ticket items, and the Taoiseach knows that. I am talking about systemic investment in the regions and investment in big projects like roads and health infrastructure.

Time and time again, different Ministers and taoisigh tell me about the bits and pieces that come to the region. Of course they do. They go to all regions, but that is not what I am talking about. The Taoiseach knows I am talking about major investments. I told him the European Commission - not me - ranks the northern and western region in the bottom 10% of all EU regions for major infrastructure. The Taoiseach cannot get away with telling me he is giving a bit of money here and there. The Government needs to systematically look at this, change direction and ensure that it builds the houses that are not being built.

I am a little disappointed with that response. Hearts and minds matter because we live in a democracy. The Deputy can wave her hands at me if she wishes, but I am going to speak for a second and am not going be told to stop talking about certain things. I am going to continue to talk about the fact that this Government has proudly invested in Sligo. From time to time, it might suit others to suggest the contrary. I have been up and down the road to Sligo so many times for so many Government announcements. The Minister, Deputy Humphreys, was there at the weekend. I am sure if the Deputy was at the events she was not describing them as bits and bobs or bits and pieces. These are important initiatives that matter to people in Sligo. I will come back to Sligo and talk to the young people about what they want to have in their communities.

Build houses.

They want houses. Let us talk about housing. The document I have in my possession was issued this morning. It has not been brought up in the Dáil yet, and I wonder why. It indicates that commencements of new houses in quarter 1 of this year are up 63% on quarter 1 of last year.

They are not in Sligo.

The provision of housing is rising in all parts of our country. Government investment in housing is rising in all parts of our country. Decisions we took in Cabinet yesterday to spend more than €300 million of taxpayers' money will help small developers and the local authority in Sligo to build more homes. The investment in the first home scheme will benefit young people in Sligo. The development waiver will benefit young people in Sligo.

The technological university will benefit more people in Sligo. The 10,000 jobs in the Border region will benefit more people Sligo. The community centres that we announced this week will benefit more people in Sligo. Yes we have more to do on balanced regional development but the Deputy does not need to convince this Government of the importance of investing in the regions.