I hope the Critical Infrastructure Bill will not represent yet another failure for rural Ireland, which for too long has been left behind with regard to investment in infrastructure. Nowhere is that more evident then in the state of our regional and local roads, which are in urgent need of investment, and also our wastewater treatment plants and water infrastructure. In Mayo, our roads are lifelines for our communities. However, years of underinvestment have left many of these roads in poor condition, placing a daily burden on residents and undermining economic development. Many times in this House, I have asked for the R312 connecting the Erris region and Castlebar to be designated a strategic regional road so that it receives the necessary funding to be upgraded and improved for the many people who rely on it daily. A friend of mine was travelling on the R312 a couple of weeks ago when the Fitbit device on her wrist hand went off to indicate she was working out. This is the absolute truth. Anyone who has travelled to the R312 will know exactly what is meant by that. The road from Belmullet to Castlebar, the R312, is absolutely horrendous and we have asked for years, if not decades, to have it strategically designated. There is no point in having a Wild Atlantic Way and all kinds of advertisements if we do not have the basic infrastructure. The R312 is the main road connecting Castlebar hospital with Erris. We talked here a number of weeks ago about Stephen Lavelle from Belmullet who lost his life while waiting for an ambulance. The R312 was the last road he travelled. It is just crazy. Rural Ireland cannot reach its full potential if its infrastructure continues to lag behind. Households wait for years on end to get funding for roads under the local improvement scheme, LIS. We are talking about critical infrastructure. For people who need to access their homes, it is critical that they have a road to drive on. They pay property tax and other taxes, yet they are denied basic access. I was in Belderrig in north Mayo a couple of weeks ago and one of the roads I drove on was covered in huge potholes. I was embarrassed, but if I had been in government all these years, I would be absolutely ashamed. No one takes responsibility. People have to wait and wait for repairs which never come. The list of LIS roads gets longer and longer. Where is the accountability and funding? We are not looking for highways, just roads that are fit to drive on. I raised the issue of maintenance and repairs for piers with the Taoiseach. The tragic death of Joachim McNulty, who drowned when his car slipped on algae on Belderrig pier, would have been avoided if the proper maintenance and safety features were done on the pier. That is critical infrastructure. If we take, for example, Mayo University Hospital and Belmullet hospital, every time there is an election there is announcement, and then another, while people wait for projects that are never delivered and are critical to communities. The Minister is familiar with the Newport sewerage scheme. We are now told we will have to wait until 2030 for that. For heaven's sake, these are vital pieces of infrastructure that need to be done for the people of Newport. The crazy thing about it is that businesses in Newport have to pay for the sewerage going into the bay. It is just wrong and cannot continue. I hope that in some way this Bill will serve to address that. The strategic development zone, SDZ, around Knock Airport has to be done as well and it must be speeded up. We cannot wait any longer.

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