Phoenix: Ministerial importance

You may have heard of the interview that Kerry TD Michael Healy-Rae did with Jerry O’Sullivan on Radio Kerry. He was literally distraught over having to resign his position as Minister of State in the Department of Agriculture. 

“Kerry has lost a minister for agriculture. Team Healy-Rae has been damaged by this. When I think of all the years we have given to get into some position where we could do something. Think of all the commitment, all the hours, all the days, all the years, all the canvassing, the support we had from people and to think we were in that position.” 

One of the shrewdest men in the Dáil, you can tell how much he believes that Kerry has lost influence.

We in Waterford know how hard it is to get into a position of political influence. There is no such thing as apolitical delivery in Ireland, everything connected with state investment is political. We saw the benefits in the short 10 years when Martin Cullen was a minister. When the government changed in 2011 it was as if our throats were cut. We were cast adrift. 

Despite sporadic investment by government in Waterford, generally as a kind of sop or afterthought, a kind of “here, take it”, the South East Economic Monitor (SEEM) report of 2025 details the reality. The local political class has generally failed to tackle the deficits that SEEM has identified and government politicians have simply ignored the report. 

Hiding from the truth does not make the reality go away.

What did the 2025 SEEM researchers of SETU Waterford tell us? Well, “The unemployment rate in the South East remains the highest in the State.” “The region’s position is structurally underperforming in income terms, with persistent shortfalls in earnings and household wealth.” 

“Disposable income per person in the South East is 21% lower than Dublin’s level.”

"Within the region, FDI growth has been uneven: Carlow and Wexford remain static; Kilkenny has seen a significant uplift and Waterford has declined.” 

“Dublin, with 28% of the population, is in the process of receiving 56% of capital spending - even excluding Metro North.” 

“The South East, despite marquee projects like the North Quays, has the lowest per capita investment at €1,738 - around €7,000 below the national average - reflecting a persistent pattern of regional underinvestment.” 

”The brain-drain continues despite amalgamation of Carlow and Waterford ITs. In 2023/24, there were 15,070 full-time higher education students from the South East, down from 15,270 in 2022/23.”

"SETU is funded at around half the rate of TU Dublin, Atlantic TU and Munster TU, and two thirds the rate of TU Shannon.” 

Any one of these metrics would be enough to bring down a government if people paid attention. Most just get on with their lives and accept the deficits as de facto policy. Are we not offended? This appears less like unfairness and more like being treated as second-class citizens. 

We don’t hear our local TDs or Senator shouting from the hilltops about the unfairness of what is going on. Our government TDs just ignore the evidence. The egregious failure of government to provide matching funding for a runway extension at Waterford Airport seemed to me, anyway, to reveal a particularly ugly truth. In a Fianna Fáil coalition government, with a Fianna Fáil Taoiseach and a Fianna Fáil Minister for Transport, the Fianna Fáil government chief whip was unable to extract the small amount of funding necessary. She chose instead to blame civil servants in the Department of Transport, although it has long been the practice that civil servants develop policy, but the minister makes sure it is implemented.

For the Nth time it has to be pointed out that there is not a current major new project in Waterford at planning or tender stage. Not in health, third-level education, port, road, rail, airport or FDI (MNC) employment. Oh wait, just heard that the IDA has applied for permission to build 100m of road in Butlerstown. When nothing is being done, do some roadworks? 

In health alone, a new Out Patients Department, a new multi-storey car park, new bed block, new acute mental health unit, new ambulance base, new hub for children, new hub for older people etc, were or are on stocks. Have any of them moved anywhere except to be removed from HSE capital plans? Blaming civil servants never gets you anywhere. 

A project to refurbish the top floor of the original SETU 1970 building on the Cork Road has had planning for more than a year. The Waterford College of Further Education has had portable buildings on Parnell Street for a decade. Do our government representatives expect to be re-elected on a diet of sports grants, community grants and active travel grants? 

The odd million or two spread here or there will not drive the future of Waterford city when our once peer cities are leaving us in their wake. Some people don’t like this even being said and one can appreciate that point of view, but are we really expected to silently accept our fate, to accept less investment and state funding almost across the board?

Waterford has the government chief whip and two junior ministries. The good people of Kerry obviously believe the latter are important posts with the capacity to deliver to their constituency. By any measure, the delivery to Waterford by this and the last government has been slim, even where government policy would support investment. If things don’t change, it is clear that Fianna Fáil and indeed its Fine Gael partners in government will be damaged in the next election. 

The SEEM figures are all from government sources and have not been rebutted by anyone. Minister Mary Butler in particular might reflect on a variant of Michael Healy-Rae’s lament for lost power. “When I think of all the years we have given in Waterford to get into some position where we could do something. Think of all the commitment, all the hours, all the days, all the years, all the canvassing, the support we had from people and to think we were in that position.” 

That we could have delivered to Waterford when the money was there. Instead, we’ll end up regretting that the mountain was in labour and delivered…?