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Westmeath

This is our plan for the future of Ireland. Highlights for Westmeath and Longford include:

  • N52 Tullamore to Kilbeggan & N4 Mullingar to Longford: These will be progressed through pre-appraisal and early planning during 2018 to be prioritised for construction in the National Development Plan.
  • Rural Transport: New town bus services will be provided to enable development growth and provide a public transport option for residents and visitors. They will be introduced over time in towns like Mullingar.
  • Eastern and Midlands Water project: Major water infrastructure project which will deliver a new strategic water supply network right throughout the Midlands.
  • Athlone main drainage project: Upgrades of wastewater networks like the Athlone main drainage project will address EU water quality requirements and enable strategic regional development.
  • Flood Risk Management: An unprecedented national investment programme in river catchment management and flood risk assessment and management (CFRAM) is being rolled out which the midlands will benefit from through the Athlone flood defence programme which is currently underway and a programme of wider measures to tackle risks in other locations.
  • Investment in Higher Education: Investment in a significant new STEM building in AIT directly responds to the skills needs of the life sciences cluster in the midlands and will further strengthen the role of AIT as a driver of economic development in the region.
  • Housing: We aim to deliver approximately 3,500 additional social homes in the Midlands region across the 2016-2021 period.
  • Health: The radiology department will be developed to provide for a new MRI at Midland Regional Hospital Mullingar. A new ambulance will be provided in Mullingar. Further investment includes the development of primary care centres and the upgrading and replacement of community nursing units across the midlands.
  • Funding for Greenways up to 2028: Completion of the Kildare and Meath sections of the Galway to Dublin Greenway in 2018/ 2019 will deliver a Greenway from Maynooth to Athlone or Ballymahon, Co Longford.
  • Sport Capital Programme: Over €100 million in capital funding has been allocated for the Sport Capital Programme (SCP) for the coming four years. 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.

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 567 fathers in Westmeath 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.

€596,000 is being invested in Westmeath to rejuvenate the town and villages in the county in 2017 and €7,384,206 is being spent between 2014 and 2020 through the LEADER Programme.

In addition, €516,324 has been invested in Westmeath through the Local Improvement Scheme to support the improvement of non-public rural roads. Also, €6,835, 547 has been spent on Regional and Local Roads while a further €12,300,635 was spent on National Roads in Westmeath 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. While an ageing population presents challenges that must be dealt the emphasis should be towards the positive.

In March 2017 we increased the State Pension again, benefitting 10,203 pensioners in Westmeath. 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 Westmeath with improvements in the quality and quantity of sporting facilities. Under the 2017 round of the Sports Capital Programme €1,115,567 in funding has been secured for 50 sporting organisations across Westmeath.

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 Westmeath Garda Division there is a currently 267 Gardaí on the beat and a Garda fleet consisting of 65 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 269 people have received a personal monitored alarm in Westmeath since late 2015.

Since the launch of the Action Plan for Jobs in 2012 the number of persons on the Live Register in Westmeath has declined by 40%.

Youth unemployment also continues to fall with a reduction of 56% 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.