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

  • Project Ireland 2040 will put a much greater emphasis on developing the counties of Meath, Wicklow and Kildare as integrated, well-planned and less sprawling network, comprising of the city and connected towns and associated rural coastal, upland and agricultural areas.
  • N2 Slane Bypass: The new scheme is at route selection phase – the objective is to find a solution for the safety issues associated with the existing N2 through Slane, taking into account the sensitive environment of the village.
  • Laytown to Bettystown Link Road: The construction of a new link road to Bettystown Town Centre will improve safety for vulnerable road users and adjacent schools by provision of appropriate alignment, dedicated footpaths, cycleways and lighting. The project is at planning phase and it is likely the project will be completed in 2020 subject to relevant approvals.
  • Funding for Greenways up to 2028 based on Greenways Strategy: Completion of the Kildare and Meath sections of the Galway to Dublin Greenway in 2018/ 2019 providing increased tourism and local business opportunities. A funding call will be announced later in the year with decisions on the award of which Greenway proposals will be awarded funding before year end.
  • Greater Dublin Drainage Project: A new regional wastewater treatment facility and associated infrastructure will be developed to serve the growing population of Dublin and parts of Meath.
  • 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.
  • Gaeltacht investment: Project Ireland supports Gaeltacht areas across the country with increased investment to enable the creation of 1,000 jobs every year in Gaeltacht areas including Meath.
  • Investment in National Heritage: Project Ireland will see a €285 million investment in our national heritage. This includes improvements to national monuments sites such as Bru na Boinne and Tara.
  • Sport Capital Programme Communities and clubs across Meath 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.

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 1,263 fathers in Meath 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.

€905,546 is being invested Meath to rejuvenate the town and villages in the county in 2017 and €6,903,123 is being spent between 2014 and 2020 through the LEADER Programme.

In addition, €474,290 has been invested in Meath through the Local Improvement Scheme to support the improvement of non-public rural roads. Also, €13,490,518 has been spent on Regional and Local Roads while a further €3,825,100 was spent on National Roads in Meath 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 17,835 pensioners in Meath. 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 Ireland’s sporting landscape with improvements in the quality and quantity of sporting facilities. Under the 2017 round of the Sports Capital Programme €2,460,188 in funding has been secured for 77 sporting organisations across Meath.

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 Meath Garda Division there is a currently 304 Gardaí on the beat and a Garda fleet consisting of 61vehicles. 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 469 people have received a personal monitored alarm in Meath since late 2015.

Since the launch of the Action Plan for Jobs in 2012 the number of persons on the Live Register in Meath has declined by 54%.

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.