News
West’s infrastructure not fit for purpose
Government and European funding is urgently required in the West to bring roads, environmental and broadband infrastructure up to standard, according to business group Ibec.
The group has branded infrastructure here “not fit for purpose” and warned that without investment, regional economic imbalance will continue.
Ibec’s West Regional Director John Brennan said that essential roads projects need to be completed if jobs are to be created on a large scale.
“We now have a once-in-a-generation opportunity to avail of really low interest rates to deliver an ambitious capital investment plan for the West Region.
“For the West region to deliver on its growth potential, it needs world class infrastructure. Our current road, environmental and broadband infrastructure is either not fit for purpose or inadequate to meet future demand,” he said.
Meanwhile, Galway-based Independent TD Mick Fitzmaurice is to begin a campaign next month to secure funding for the West from Europe.
Deputy Fitzmaurice said he agreed with Mr Brennan that “much of the essential infrastructure in the West of Ireland is not fit for purpose”.
“This is something that I have been pointing out for some time. The problems stem from a decision by the Government to remove the core funding status towards the West of Ireland in 2011.
“This was core funding from Europe which provided up to 40% towards essential infrastructure such as roads, rail links, broadband, and water and sewage services.
“However, the then Minister for Transport, Leo Varadkar and the Government changed their policy in that regard in 2011.
“I will be going to Europe in October to lobby to have that funding model resumed for the Western Region.
“The infrastructure in the Western region now must be brought up to an acceptable standard and there is ‘TEN-T’ funding (Trans-European Transport Networks including road, rail, air and water) that can help in that regard,” said Deputy Fitzmaurice.
Ibec have now called on the Government to introduce an ‘ambitious’ capital investment programme in next month’s Budget.
“Businesses in the West are clearly beginning to feel the benefits of economic recovery but many remain constrained by significant infrastructure gaps.
“Very little capital investment has been delivered to the region over the past seven years and we are now playing catch-up. If we invest wisely now and deliver much needed infrastructure, the region will benefit for many years to come and business will create more jobs.”
The business group has said that roads projects need to be prioritised for completion over the next five years, including the completion of the Tuam to Gort M17/M18 motorway, the proposed N6 Galway outer bypass and identified the improvement of the N17 from Galway to Sligo as a ‘medium-term’ priority.
Other major infrastructure needs identified by Ibec include upgrades to the water and waste water networks.
“Broadband also remains a key infrastructure gap and requires public funding to deliver the essential infrastructure to those locations for which it is uneconomic for the private sector to do so.
“Now is the time to invest ambitiously and businesses in the West are calling on Government to provide funding for a number of key infrastructure projects in the region which will ultimately ensure a handsome return for the state through the benefits of business, social and employment prosperity,” said Mr Brennan.
Significant state investment is required to address ‘shocking’ inequalities that leave cancer patients in the West at greater risk of succumbing to the disease.
A meeting of Regional Health Forum West heard that survival rates for breast, lung and colorectal cancers than the national average, and with the most deprived quintile of the population, the West’s residents faced poorer outcomes from a cancer diagnosis.
For breast cancer patients, the five-year survival rate was 80% in the West versus 85% nationally; for lung cancer patients it was 16.7% in the west against a 19.5% national survival rate; and in the West’s colorectal cancer patients, there was a 62.6% survival rate where the national average was 63.1%.
These startling statistics were provided in answer to a question from Ballinasloe-based Cllr Evelyn Parsons (Ind) who said it was yet another reminder that cancer treatment infrastructure in the West was in dire need of improvement.
“The situation is pretty stark. In the Western Regional Health Forum area, we have the highest incidence of deprivation and the highest health inequalities because of that – we have the highest incidences of cancer nationally because of that,” said Cllr Parsons, who is also a general practitioner.
In details provided by CEO of Saolta Health Care Group, which operates Galway’s hospitals, it was stated that a number of factors were impacting on patient outcomes.
Get the full story in this week’s Connacht Tribune, on sale in shops now, or you can download the digital edition from www.connachttribune.ie. You can also download our Connacht Tribune App from Apple’s App Store or get the Android Version from Google Play.
On the eve of completing his 150th marathon, an odyssey that has taken him across 53 countries, Loughrea’s Marathon Man has announced that he is planning to hang up his running shoes.
But not before Jarlath Fitzgerald completes another ten races, making it 160 marathons on the occasion of his 60th birthday.
“I want to draw the line in 2026. I turn 57 in October and when I reach 60 it’s the finishing line. The longer races are taking it out of me. I did 20 miles there two weeks ago and didn’t feel good. It’s getting harder,” he reveals.
“I’ve arthritis in both hips and there’s wear and tear in the knees.”
We speak as he is about to head out for a run before his shift in Supervalu Loughrea. Despite his physical complaints, he still clocks up 30 miles every second week and generally runs four days a week.
Jarlath receives injections to his left hip to keep the pain at bay while running on the road.
To give his joints a break, during the winter he runs cross country and often does a five-mile trek around Kylebrack Wood.
He is planning on running his 150th marathon in Cork on June 4, where a group of 20 made up of work colleagues, friends and running mates from Loughrea Athletics Club will join him.
Some are doing the 10k, others are doing the half marathon, but all will be there on the finishing line to cheer him on in the phenomenal achievement.
Get the full story in this week’s Connacht Tribune, on sale in shops now, or you can download the digital edition from www.connachttribune.ie. You can also download our Connacht Tribune App from Apple’s App Store or get the Android Version from Google Play.
From the Galway City Tribune – An impassioned plea for a ‘masterplan’ that would guide Galway City into the future has been made in the Dáil. Galway West TD Catherine Connolly stated this week that there needed to be an all-inclusive approach with “vision and leadership” in order to build a sustainable city.
Deputy Connolly spoke at length at the crisis surrounding traffic and housing in Galway city and said that not all of the blame could be laid at the door of the local authority.
She said that her preference would be the provision of light rail as the main form of public transport, but that this would have to be driven by the government.
“I sat on the local council for 17 years and despaired at all of the solutions going down one road, metaphorically and literally. In 2005 we put Park & Ride into the development plan, but that has not been rolled out. A 2016 transport strategy was outdated at the time and still has not been updated.
“Due to the housing crisis in the city, a task force was set up in 2019. Not a single report or analysis has been published on the cause of the crisis,” added Deputy Connolly.
She then referred to a report from the Land Development Agency (LDA) that identified lands suitable for the provision of housing. But she said that two-thirds of these had significant problems and a large portion was in Merlin Park University Hospital which, she said, would never have housing built on it.
In response, Minister Simon Harris spoke of the continuing job investment in the city and also in higher education, which is his portfolio.
But turning his attention to traffic congestion, he accepted that there were “real issues” when it came to transport, mobility and accessibility around Galway.
“We share the view that we need a Park & Ride facility and I understand there are also Bus Connects plans.
“I also suggest that the City Council reflect on her comments. I am proud to be in a Government that is providing unparalleled levels of investment to local authorities and unparalleled opportunities for local authorities to draw down,” he said.
Then Minister Harris referred to the controversial Galway City Outer Ring Road which he said was “struck down by An Bord Pleanála”, despite a lot of energy having been put into that project.
However, Deputy Connolly picked up on this and pointed out that An Bord Pleanála did not say ‘No’ to the ring road.
“The High Court said ‘No’ to the ring road because An Bord Pleanála acknowledged it failed utterly to consider climate change and our climate change obligations.
“That tells us something about An Bord Pleanála and the management that submitted such a plan.”
In the end, Minister Harris agreed that there needed to be a masterplan for Galway City.
“I suggest it is for the local authority to come up with a vision and then work with the Government to try to fund and implement that.”
Families queue up for school’s offer of free house
West has lower cancer survival rates than rest
Galway minors continue to lay waste to all opponents
Gardaí and IFA issue a joint appeal on summer road safety
Marathon Man plans to call a halt – but not before he hits 160 races
