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Project Ireland 2040 is our plan for the future of Ireland. Highlights for Limerick include:

  • Growth of Limerick: A key pillar of this vision is the sustainable development of cities outside Dublin. As one of these cities, Limerick is well placed to benefit from Project Ireland 2040 with a target for the city to grow by at least 50% by 2040.
  • The Coonagh to Knockalisheen road development project: will improve connectivity and support urban renewal in Limerick. It is currently planned to complete the project by end 2021.
  • The M20 Cork – Limerick Road: This major €0.9billion project aims to improve connectivity between Cork and Limerick, and provide for safer and more efficient journey times. The project is due to commence the planning stage.
  • The Shannon Crossing / Killaloe Bypass / R494 upgrade will relieve congestion in Killaloe, provide an additional crossing of the Shannon and significantly improve the alignment of the R494. The project has secured planning permission, is in the process of land acquisition and is currently programmed to be completed in 2022.
  • The N21 / N 69 Limerick to Adare to Foynes: This scheme is 33km in length and provides the last link in the network serving the port of Foynes. The N21 part of the route will be motorway and the link section will be a protected road. The scheme provides benefits in terms of journey time reduction, particularly a bypass of Adare.
  • The Coonagh to Knockalisheen road development project will improve connectivity and support urban renewal in Limerick. It is currently planned to complete the project by end 2021.
  • The N21 (Newcastle West Bypass) and N21 (Abbeyfeale) will be progressed through pre-appraisal and early planning in 2018 to prioritise projects which are proceeding to construction in the National Development Plan.
  • A particular priority is the delivery of the Atlantic Corridor, with a high quality road network linking Cork, Limerick, Galway and Sligo.
  • Shannon Group, through its subsidiaries (Shannon Airport Authority, Shannon Commercial Enterprises and Shannon Heritage) plans to invest in excess of €150m in its capital programme to 2022, including development of the property portfolio, construction of a hangar at Shannon Airport and developing its tourist attractions.
  • Flood Risk Management: Limerick City and environs has been identified for investment in a large flood relief scheme as part of the National Development Plan.
  • Urban Regeneration and Development Fund: €2 billion, under the Department of Housing, Planning and Local Government will support development in our five cities and other large urban centres. An example of a project that has the potential to receive support is the Limerick 2030 initiative.
  • Limerick Regeneration Programme: Continued investment will see the completion of the works identified in the 2013 Limerick Regeneration Framework Implementation Plan, with the delivery of some 400 new homes and the upgrading of 900 homes across the areas of Moyross, Southill, Ballinacurra Weston and St Mary’s Park, with a programme of social and economic initiatives over the coming years.
  • Rural Regeneration and Development Fund: Towns and villages with populations of up to 10,000 people, along with rural areas, can benefit from a new Rural Regeneration and Development Fund, worth €1bn nationally over ten years.
  • Rural and community development Schemes: will be supported by, for example, the Town and Village Renewal Scheme, LEADER, the Rural Recreation Scheme, the CLÁR Programme, the RAPID Programme and further libraries investment.
  • Education: New student centre and sports facilities, new and refurbished student residences at the University of Limerick. Limerick IT will also benefit from a €200m national Public Private Partnership for the Higher Education Sector which responds directly to skills needs at the regional level, with a particular emphasis on STEM disciplines.
  • Sport Capital Programme Communities and clubs across Limerick can bid for the over €100 million in capital funding under the Sport Capital Programme (SCP) over the next 4 years. In addition a new Large Scale Sport Infrastructure Fund of €100 million is being established for larger sports projects where the proposed Government contribution exceeds amounts available under the SCP.
  • Health: Standalone maternity hospitals will move to acute hospital sites including Limerick University Maternity Hospital which will transfer to the University Hospital Limerick site in line with the National Maternity Strategy. New patient accommodation will be provided at University Hospital Limerick.

Fine Gael is a party of aspiration, a party of enterprise, a party of opportunity, and a party of hope. These are our values and they guide our ambition for this country.

We want to give hope to individuals and families, reward work and enterprise, encourage aspiration, and remove barriers to progress. We want the Republic that we founded to provide opportunities for all our people.

We believe a greater work-life balance and work-place flexibility must be better supported, particularly in the early years.

That is why we have brought forward measures such as Paternity Benefit. Since its introduction 1,144 fathers in Limerick have been awarded this payment.

We have also brought forward measures to make childcare more affordable such as full entitlement to a full two years of the free preschool programme and a universal childcare subsidy of up to €1,040 per year for children aged from 6 to 36 months.

Balanced regional development is at the heart of our planning. We will ensure that rural communities not only survive but thrive. We have appointed a Minister for Rural and Community Development and in early 2017 we launched the Action Plan for Rural Development.

€1,087,943 is being invested in Limerick to rejuvenate the town and villages in the county in 2017 and €9,276,593 is being spent between 2014 and 2020 through the LEADER Programme.

In addition, €546,085 has been invested in Limerick through the Local Improvement Scheme to support the improvement of non-public rural roads. Also, €15,905,153 has been spent on Regional and Local Roads while a further €7,316,445 was spent on National Roads in Limerick in 2017.

Life expectancy is increasing as is the average and median age. We believe that this is an opportunity for Ireland that should be embraced.

In March 2017 we increased the State Pension again, benefitting 24,210 pensioners in Limerick. Budget 2018 increased the State Pension by €5 per week, making a total increase of €13 per week over the last 3 Fine Gael budgets, and proportional increases for qualified adults and those on reduced rates of payment.

We will bolster the success created by Irish workers and enterprises by ensuring that all get fair reward for their efforts and for the risks they take.

Significant progress has been made already; we cut the USC again, increased the entry point for the higher rate of tax, increased the Earned Income Tax Credit, extended entitlement to the Treatment Benefit Scheme and increased the national minimum wage for the fourth time.

Our culture, heritage, language and sport define us as a people. They bring us together, are central to good physical and mental health, and give us great pride.

The Sports Capital Programme has transformed the sporting landscape of Ireland with improvements in the quality and quantity of sporting facilities. Under the 2017 round of the Sports Capital Programme €2,463,129 in funding has been secured for 87 sporting organisations across Limerick.

We are committed to ensuring that people feel safe in their homes, whether in our urban centres or the heart of rural Ireland.

Here in the Limerick Garda Division there is a currently 555 Gardaí on the beat and a Garda fleet consisting of 88 vehicles. We have a plan in place in place to achieve an overall Garda workforce of 21,000 personnel by 2021.

We are also working to ensure that vulnerable older people feel safe in their communities. Under the Senior Alerts Scheme 827 people have received a personal monitored alarm in Limerick since late 2015.

Since the launch of the Action Plan for Jobs in 2012 the number of persons on the Live Register in Limerick has declined by 53%.

Youth unemployment also continues to fall with a reduction of 63% of U-25s on the Live Register over the same period. As we approach full employment our focus is on high quality, secure job creation.