27 November 2015
By Tom Collins
tom@TheCork.ie
Minister for Public Expenditure & Reform, Brendan Howlin TD and the Minister for Agriculture, Food & Marine and Defence, Simon Coveney TD were today (Friday) in Cork to highlight the benefits of the Government’s capital investment programme, Building on Recovery, for the Cork and Kerry area. Ministers Jimmy Deenihan, Kathleen Lynch, Dara Murphy and Sean Sherlock were also at the event in the Irish Marine Energy Resource Cluster (IMERC), which is one of the projects being funded under the programme with a €25 million funding commitment to support jobs, and urban renewal and regeneration in the area.
Minister Howlin said:
“The Government’s €42 billion framework for infrastructure investment in Ireland over the period 2016 to 2021 is a sensible, responsible plan to make affordable, sustainable investments that boost the productive capacity of our economy, improve public services and lay the foundations for future growth. For Cork and Kerry, this means providing vital facilities for people in the form of roads, schools, health care, housing and policing, as well as investing capital spending to strengthen the environment for job creation. The plan itself will support an estimated 45,000 construction jobs.”
Minister Coveney said:
“The Government’s capital investment programme for Cork demonstrates our determination to build the necessary infrastructure in Cork so we can continue to grow economic opportunities and jobs. The funding announced for major road projects, including the Dunkettle interchange and the N28, are a reflection of the Government’s ambition for growth and investment in the Cork area and will be welcome news for people living in Cork’s commuter towns. Major projects like €30 million for the building of a new Pairc Ui Chaoimh, €12 million for the city’s Events Centre and €25 million for IMERC projects will also be funded in the new capital plan.”
meanwhile…
Above: File photo of Kathleen Lynch
Cork based Junior Minister Minister Kathleen Lynch said:
“Now that the recovery has begun, it is vital that the Government invests in health infrastructure that leads to better services for our people. The Building on Recovery capital plan includes a major piece of investment in Cork University Hospital, with funding provided for the new Radiation Oncology Unit there. The plan also continues to support the roll-out of Primary Care Centres in order to take the pressure off hospitals and provide people with access to health care close to home. New Primary Care Centres are under way in Carrigaline, St Mary’s Hospital Campus and Charleville while four other PCCs have already opened in Cork.”
Above: Dara Murphy
Cork based Junior Minister Dara Minister Murphy said:
“The Government’s commitment to Cork is greatly in evidence with the recent announcement of the schools building programme funded under the Building on Recovery capital programme. This programme will fund 32 new major construction projects for schools, on top of the projects already announced in the Schools Capital Plan 2012-2016. The increased school places that this will provide will be a big relief to parents and the plan will also eliminate pre-fabs as a long-term accommodation solution. Of particular interest to Cork businesses is the major investment in flood defence schemes, with the largest flood relief scheme ever undertaken in the country being developed for Cork City.”
Above: Sean Sherlock
Cork based Junior Minister Sean Sherlock said:
“As we build on the economic recovery that is now under way, and combine that with a social recovery, we are very aware of those people who have not yet felt it in their own lives. With that in mind, I welcome the Government’s clear commitment to delivering on the Social Housing Strategy. For Cork City, this means an investment of €124 million to provide 1,349 social homes by 2017 and for County Cork, €80.5 million to provide 1,217 social homes by 2017. The investment for housing infrastructure is complemented by the road infrastructure investment, and specifically with the Northern Relief Road which will improve and alleviate congestion for the Crossroads of Munster for residents and commuters in Cork, Limerick and Killarney.
“It is vitally important that Capital Programme contains a €60 million funding commitment to the clean-up of Haulbowline, which is of strong economic and community interest to the people of the Lower Harbour and Cork.”
