In principle, we will be supporting the Bill because of the importance it holds for the much-needed projects out there. I was in Galway recently and I met a lot of people in relation to Galway University Hospital. Staff are working in shocking conditions, with scaffolding in place for the past two years slattering around the place like frisbees. It is a bit of a joke in this modern era in which we live. Some 4,000 brilliant staff are trying to work under those conditions. Who has the final say as to where all these projects will go? I have been a Member of the Dáil for the past ten years and I have been bringing up passing bays on the N71 in west Cork and on the R586, but nothing has happened. A fortune of money was never needed. These projects are desperately needed. A bypass is needed in Innishannon, while in Bandon there is the need for northern and southern relief roads. These all remain undone 20, 30 and 40 years later. However, every year before an election, an announcement will be made that there is money to look at some project. Some fella will make a couple of hundred thousand euro but there will be no shovel in the ground. One of my councillors, John Collins, asked that question at a meeting recently. He asked when our shovel will be in the ground, and he could not get answer. That is all we want to know. We do not want to hear about more reports because reports end up finding snails and worms, and we know what that means - the can is kicked down the road. It is the same with the bypass in Bantry. It is very difficult to come up here and to be kind of giving out while not seeing the progress that is needed for areas to progress. If this Bill is going to be supported by us, I want to know who has the final say about the projects that are being picked. Is it going to be where the most Ministers are? Is it going to be in the bigger cities while the smaller towns and villages throughout Ireland, where critical infrastructure is equally as important, will be forgotten about? Work is desperately needed in areas like Roscarberry, Ballydehob and Goleen where raw sewage is pouring into the tide. There is a desperate need for Uisce Éireann to build new sewerage services. In fairness to Uisce Éireann, it met us recently across the road. We cannot get it to sit down with us even if we have a developer. In one of those towns, I have a developer who is willing to invest and build a plant with Uisce Éireann, but it will not sit down with us. We have been asking it to do so for five or six weeks. That makes me very doubtful about where all this money is going to end up and who will have the final say. It is fine to say that we need critical infrastructure as it means the projects that are desperately needed will get to the top. However, councillors in County Cork will soon vote on a county development plan that has no vision and cannot have a vision because most wastewater treatment plants in the county's towns are full and bursting at the seams. It is a vicious circle. Money is critically needed for a lot of these projects, but is it going to be provided or am I going to be back again in five years' time telling this House that nothing has happened with these projects and we are still in crisis, even though we supported the Bill for critical infrastructure projects that were supposed to get to the top for delivery? I do not want to harp on too much but these are hugely important issues. I would like to know where the funding we are voting for will go and who will have the final say. Will politicians and the political body have any say or are we going to be squeezed out, with the final say going to the most senior politicians? In fairness, if we are supporting this, the least we deserve is an answer here and that everybody will have a say in this and will feed into the whole process. We could then go back to people and say that while we did not get the bypasses, we might have got passing bays. That would be a great start. I know of a lot of accidents in west Cork caused by people becoming frustrated behind lorries and tractors. The Minister, Deputy Chambers, and the Minister of State, Deputy Fleming, have been down there themselves. Imagine travelling from Bandon all the way west to Skibbereen before being able to pass a vehicle during the silage season. Lord God, there is something wrong somewhere. A few simple passing bays could be put in. That is where money like this should be going. It is what I keep asking for. I never ask for a fancy flyover. I just ask for common sense solutions so that people travelling on those roads at least have some safety, people who have a genuine reason to travel slowly can be easily passed and there are no serious accidents on the roads. As I mentioned, hospitals and other critical infrastructure projects need to be put at the top of the list. I know from talking to people about the Galway ring road that it is a serious issue. There is a chronic traffic issue in Galway city. I met the groups down there and they told me about it. I did not need to be told, though, because I travel around there myself. It is chronic to get through Galway at the present time. I would hate to see projects being announced now just before the election, but we need a concentration on major projects so they are done for the people and people see where their money is going. They are taxpayers. They are honest to God, hard-working taxpayers and they deserve to see their money being spent wisely and to get something back for what they continue to give. Some €500 million left over in the National Oil Reserves Agency, NORA, fund has not been spent. At the same time, I am trying to get rural transport projects across the line for rural communities. These are simple, good projects in villages and towns that transport does not reach, yet there is €500 million there. I do not know why funding is so scarce or why that money cannot be spent or given back to the people in some way. I recently met a person in Dublin who has been 20 years living in this country. He said it is a great country but it is badly run. I had to agree with him. He is from Nigeria. It was a simple statement but he is 100% right. This is why we need to make sure the money that will be available, and there could be a lot of it, is spent right and on the projects that are needed. Whether that is University Hospital Galway or passing bays in west Cork, the focus needs to be on those projects. People should be able to go into a hospital in Galway without having to look at scaffolding or see slates flying around like frisbees for the next two years. Money needs to be spent and there needs to be delivery for the people of Galway. Do not be smiling. I am being honest.

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