Anne Rabbitte
Nominated by the Taoiseach · Fianna Fáil · Ireland
“On Ireland's most popular pornography website, almost two thirds of the video titles indicate content of concern, including sexual violence, extreme misogyny and material that mimics child sexual abuse. This is not on the fringes of the Internet; this is mainstream, free and one click away from every child in this country.”
“I also acknowledge the role of Deputy Cathal Crowe in the Lower House and that of Senator Rónán Mullen whose Bill, which was before Seanad Éireann last week, spoke to this very issue. It is something we should all get behind and support to ensure we have the law to protect our young people. I also wish to bring up Skyclarys.”
“I am wearing sandals today. Good afternoon to everybody. I warmly welcome the Minister for justice's bringing his memo to Cabinet where he seeks to criminalise extreme violent pornography. For too long, this has been a glaring gap in our criminal law.”
“He said that we should not deny his son the chance to hold onto his voice, even if it is just to be able to ask for a glass of water. That is the parent of a child with Friedreich's ataxia, who has already lost a child to Friedreich's ataxia. We have 200 such patients in this country.”
“Where we have rural depopulation - and there are great reports coming from the GAA - the one thing we want to do is ensure a sense of community. That sense of community circles around a few things. It can be the church, school, post office or the pub.”
“The Senator also said, as did Senator Murphy O'Mahony, that if we can be anything in this world, we should be kind, and that is one thing Martin Naughton was, and it is one thing we should always remember. Ar dheis Dé go raibh a anam. We think of him today. Senator McCormack raised the issue of active travel.”
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“I would love to think there will be a space there for children. We also know that when children leave acute hospitals they go home to their communities. Our CDNT teams, while they are good, are not equipped to deal with acquired brain injury. That is a specialism within itself so we need to create pathways to support families. The community neuro-teams for children would create that paediatric rehabilitation pathway that is required. I believe that there is a need and an urgency to develop a strategy. We have some of the best clinicians working in the NRH, Temple Street and Crumlin. We need to work with them to create that. There is a need for it as well.”
“They are working very closely with Ms Mags Rogers of the Neurological Alliance of Ireland. While we have a strategy for adults, we do not have a strategy or a development for children. If a child has to go through Crumlin or Temple Street hospitals, they are then referred to the National Rehabilitation Hospital but we do not have hub and spoke support throughout the country. We really need to have community rehabilitation services as well for children. These should be mirrored on what we have already in relation to our community neurostrategy, but we will need a programme manager and a clinical lead. We have the fantastic facilities in the National Rehabilitation Hospital, NRH and it was great to see that the Minister for Health, Deputy Carroll MacNeill, in the capital plan, has awarded funding for the expansion of it.”
“Today, I will raise the issue of rehabilitation for children with acquired brain injury, which needs to be co-ordinated from the top down. Someone needs to take ownership and responsibility for the service as a whole and for the individual care of children. This should not be the complete responsibility of the parents. Every child deserves to get the same level of service and not be discriminated against based on where they live in the country. They should also not get a lesser service because their parents or caregivers do not shout loudly enough. I strongly believe that there should be a support person available to assist children throughout the country in relation to acquired brain injury. At the moment, fantastic community neurological teams are being set up and staffed. Both Ministers are working incredibly hard on the staffing.”
“I thank the Chair for his indulgence in letting me in, and the Minister for his listening ability. It was really pragmatic of him and his Department to take on board what was said that night. It does make a difference here in the Seanad that we can work across party and get jobs done even if they are small, but this is huge. It is a small step in the right direction. It will have a huge impact on a lot of women when they make that step to go forward to leave the home to know that there is travel support there for them that is non-means-tested and flexible depending on the number of children they need to support.”
“I thank the Cathaoirleach for his leniency on this particular matter. I thank the Minister for being here. I thank all the Senators who throughout last October contributed to this Bill when it was brought forward. While there was a time delay amendment on it, the Minister worked furiously to ensure it was not dragged out. The Minister and his team have ensured we are here today talking about travel supports. The first step forward when a person decides to leave their home is that they have a next-step plan.”
“It is a known failure, one that has been building for many years. We must move beyond managing emergencies and begin building a system rooted in prevention, early intervention and family support. Keeping children safely within their families and communities must always be the priority, where possible, supported by meaningful investment and not just intention. Where that is not possible, every child must have access to stable, nurturing and properly supported care, not temporary or unsuitable placements. None of this will matter if we do not listen. We have to actively create a space where children can speak. I believe in that. Perhaps the Deputy Leader might consider bringing children here and having a dedicated day for children in care.”
“The Ombudsman for Children and EPIC play a critical role in amplifying the lived experience of children and young people in care. However, they cannot do it alone. As legislators, we must ensure that children's voices are not just heard in hindsight but actively shape the system that they are still within. Today I am calling for the Minister to come before the House in the coming weeks to facilitate dedicated statements on children in care, not broad discussions but focused urgent engagement on Tusla's over-reliance on emergency care beds and unregulated placements, the shortage of foster, kinship and appropriate residential care options and, critically, how we are capturing and responding to the voices of children currently in the system. If we are honest, this is not a new crisis.”
“At the centre of this is Tusla, the arm of the State with responsibility for both preventative supports and emergency responses for children and families. However, we are seeing an over-reliance on emergency care beds and placements rather than a system built on early intervention, family support and planned care. This is not sustainable and, more importantly, it is not acceptable for the children living it. We have heard powerful testimonies in recent days from young adults who have left care and we owe them a debt of gratitude for their courage. However, where are the voices of the children still in care today? Where are the voices of those under 18 living the reality right now, often without language, protection or a platform to speak? Their silence is not absence; it is a silence we are responsible for.”
“I rise today with a deep sense of responsibility because there are children in our care system who do not have a voice in this Chamber and yet their lives are shaped by the decisions we make here. The recent statement from the Irish Association of Social Workers once again exposed the reality of a system under strain, a system increasingly reliant on special emergency arrangements, hotels, bed and breakfasts, and unregulated settings for children who deserve much better. Let us be clear; these are not just placements. These are children, children who have already experienced trauma, neglect and instability, now placed in an environment that cannot offer the safety, consistency and belonging that they need to heal.”
“It was able to provide that secretariat support. This is what we need to do. I think it will address a lot of issues for the ageing parents to know there is a plan and pathway. I believe the Minister of State, Deputy Higgins, is the one to do this.”
“We have corner units from the city council. Galway City Council has been good on this. While we have a programme for Government in housing, we should at the same time have a programme for Government to ensure there is housing left aside to support people so we get that early intervention. I ask the Minister of State to expand that pilot project nationwide, put it into every single local authority and call in every provider in all of the local authorities to sit down with her and the HSE and ask them to take off 30 houses each. The template is done. We already have the OT, the physio, the social care and the psychologist. We are able to do it there and it is ready to go. We have really good people in our local authorities and have seen what has happened with Age Action Ireland through the Meath local authority.”
“The pilot project was for approximately €1.3 million to support 33 young adults into supported and independent living. To date, 24 have gone through and the most recent year is coming. It was slow to start and to get entire buy-in because it is a different way of doing business. The different way of doing business is that we need the providers to work together. We cannot have silos, the same as we cannot have silos within Departments. We need the different providers to come together in the different areas and put the people with need at the centre and say we can use the Minister's money a bit differently. With that, we have found beautiful apartments in Letterfrack where there are three people living independently. There is also a residential house across from it that can be supported with the staff.”
“Through the Living my Life project, a pilot project down in Galway funded for over three years, we brought Ability West and the Brothers of Charity together in conjunction with the HSE. We got the city council and county council together as well. We provided enough funding to hire an occupational therapist, a physiotherapist and a psychologist. The whole purpose was to work with the families, find the people with needs and have people work together. The Minister of State is not a landlord. It is the job of the local authorities to step up to the plate and provide her with universally designed housing that people can access. The Minister of State's ask within her strategy is huge, involving something like 900 houses. Let us just take one little bite off the elephant. Let us start with the pilot project.”
“I have 100% confidence in her and her team, and in what they are doing. I know she cares. That is an important part. The Minister of State has empathy, gets it and cares. While I did not attend the committee proceedings this morning, I watched them. A really good project from about three years ago was called Living my Life. It will not solve the problem but it will address it. During my time as Minister of State, I heard exactly what parents were saying. They were growing older and did not know whether they would have the ability to care. A lot of funding goes towards emergencies. When funding is addressing an emergency, the cost is three or four times greater because there will have been no plan in place.”
“I thank the Minister of State for coming into the House this evening and giving us an in-depth response on where exactly things sit with her and her officials within her Department. Her response is very welcome. The allocation in the 2020 budget has grown by approximately 90%. When I took over in 2020, the amount was €2.1 billion and today it is €3.9 billion. The Minister of State's job is to drive policy and ensure she gets as much money into the sector as possible so the HSE can operationalise it. I fully realise she understands the frustration of Senators this evening, because sometimes operationalisation does not go far enough. There is a complete inequality around some of the REOs. I do not need to tell the Minister of State that because I see her out and about and engaging.”
“Before we move on to the next speaker, I welcome Kieran Stokes-Ryan, who is studying government and politics at UCC and who is on work experience here with Senator Laura Harmon. I believe we have another group here as well. We may as well say "Hello" to everybody. The walking group from Dundalk who are here with Deputy McGreehan are very welcome. Some of the Minister of State, Deputy Marian Harkin's constituents are here as well. It is great to see them all. We are doing statements on disability and are joined by the Minister of State, Deputy Higgins, this afternoon. I call Senator Pauline O'Reilly.”
“Are they equipped to participate in employment? Are there really good apprenticeship models there? In Limerick Prison, a lot of people were participating in work there but were finding it very difficult to get into employment. We need to partner with industry as well in order that there will be a step-out model and that it will not just be confined to training. Training is one thing, but it is really about breaking away from the poverty element when people step back out. That is my two and six, as they say. I do not have a legal background, but I genuinely want to ensure that we can make a difference here.”
“What has come out of a number of the studies that have been done is that, where people have been given the opportunity to participate in rehabilitation, there has been a 96% take-up and it has ensured that the numbers reoffending have dropped. There are great opportunities, and I believe the Minister is the Minister to effect this sort of change. Prison has to be there for people who do wrong, but for people who have never had the opportunity to understand what has been their underlying condition, we need to afford them that opportunity and invest in that. I agree with Senator Harmon on education within the Prison Service. We need to really look at what we are delivering as a form of education within prison. We need to look at what people are stepping back out to. Are they stepping back out into employment?”
“I really welcome the amending of legislation on community service orders from 240 to 480 hours so that people get the opportunity to get back into education and acquire hope while also understanding whatever the condition that presents in them is and how they can live within a community setting completely. Senator Ruane has spoken about parts of the US. I know from the research that I am doing that they have gone further in the US with young offenders than what we have in the youth diversion programme. They give people the opportunity to participate in community service but also within rehabilitation.”
“These reduced hours within classroom settings are going to cause damage in time to come. Whether they are in special classes or special units, at the end of the day and unless we have proper intervention, supports and an understanding of what a person's condition is, it will manifest and present. Sometimes, the decision will then be made that the best place to manage - that is the word used - that person due to how they are presenting is within the judicial system. I believe in the rehabilitation of and working with individuals. We have not really explored what rehabilitation would look like outside the prison system.”
“That portion of people may never, for example, have been diagnosed with foetal alcohol spectrum disorder, FASD. These people go from flight to fight. They are the teenagers who drop out of school. They are the teenagers who then may not participate in Youthreach. They have turned 18 and all of a sudden they are in the judicial system without ever having known their condition. I say exactly the same about Huntington's disease. This is another classic example of a neurological disease that does not manifest itself until people hit their late teens and early adulthood, but its sufferers present an awful lot in relation to crime, particularly minor crime that escalates, while never having got that understanding. There are a number of combinations here. We also have people who have had reduced education hours or reduced time in education.”
“I thank the Minister for being here and giving myself and my colleagues time to have statements on prison conditions and alternative sentencing. I do not come from a legal background. I am on the justice committee. I attended Limerick Prison with Senator Ruane and that opened my eyes to what the conditions were like. It was my first time ever to visit a prison and it has had a lasting impact on me. We talk about the dignity of people if we want to help with rehabilitation and reform, but what I saw there that day was reflective of the contributions here today. I genuinely believe that the Minister's prison system is actually a gatekeeper for public health where we have failed within public health. I do not say it is true for all, but for a portion.”
“Before I call on the next speaker, I welcome Jane and Peter Maher from the Ballyglunin development to the Seanad this afternoon, along with my good colleague Deputy Albert Dolan. I also see Deputy Martin Kenny arriving with some of his friends and guests as well this evening. Not to leave anybody out, they are all very welcome. In the Sinn Féin slot, I call Senator McCormack. Is the Senator sharing time?”
“I also worry about those who are in irregular tenancies that have never been regularised, but the laws the Government has brought in in the past six months have given landlords the security for tenure, knowing where they stand, with the same for the tenant. From what the Minister of State has said there, from the notes he has provided and from the investment of €9 million, I know a lot of funding is going into it. He is right that 17,000 people on a homelessness list is nothing we are proud of but Government is working to ensure we can reduce it at all times.”
“Much of the time when I hear about youth homelessness in Galway, I hear it at the start of the college year when young people cannot find accommodation. Any levers that can be worked within the Department should be worked to find the opportunities to bring accommodation on stream, particularly for students going back to college. This is a real worry for parents when they let them go for the first time. The Department is working with the Minister, Deputy Lawless, on this and that is very welcome, particularly for kids who have to travel a long distance and do not have the luxury of the bus or car home. Not sleeping rough and pretending everything is okay just to be at college is not enough.”
“I ask that staff on the front line of our local authorities be very open and understanding of the need and that when situations evolve, women at risk need to be prioritised. We do it very well and we did it very well during Covid, but sometimes there are isolated cases where they do not feel their voices are being heard. We need to reflect on that. Where there is vulnerability and where children at risk, we need to think of that. In the same way, we need to look at youth homelessness. It is an area we are addressing but I believe we have more capacity on it. I welcome the announcement from the Minister for higher and further education, Deputy Lawless, on what is happening around student accommodation.”
“Budget 2026 provided a total of €563 million to address homelessness, and this includes €513 million in current funding to ensure local authorities can provide sufficient emergency accommodation as well as essential related Housing First provisions for homelessness prevention support. In all of the measures provided, it is very important that the staff on the front line of our local authority have a clear understanding of how situations can evolve and change, particularly in their own housing stock where people will present. I am on the Traveller committee, so I have first hand experience of hearing this from the Traveller community. Travellers present and sometimes, they do not feel their voices are heard from a domestic point of view.”
“To ensure a fully aligned all-of-government approach under the plan, we are committed to developing a national homelessness prevention framework, within which homelessness can be prevented in a structured and planned way with tailored prevention measures for each potential risk cohort. It is also important to acknowledge that there are many elements to homelessness. There is the youth homelessness strategy, which has been in place for the past three years and has introduced a range of new measures, including housing supports for youth in shared accommodation schemes.”
“It is welcome that the Minister met with all the local authority chief executives last October and laid bare to them that our number one priority is housing delivery and breaking down the roadblocks. First and foremost, however, it is about ensuring people who need to stay in their homes can stay in those homes, are supported in their homes and that the local authority is there to support them and the Department is there to support the local authority. While that is reassuring, he is also a Minister of action and funding. This includes the provision of social and affordable housing, HAP and homelessness HAP, and a strong tenancy protection legislation.”
“I thank the Minister of State for his opening statement. He is correct in what he has said there on increased supply in addressing homelessness. They Government is focused on making sure everyone has access to good quality, affordable and secure homes that suit their needs. Over €9 million in capital funding will be made available this year alone. The housing plan recognises that homelessness is the single most pressured social issue we face, and the Government has introduced several key measures to address homelessness, ensuring the implementation of these measures is a priority in 2026. Prevention of homelessness in the first instance is essential. The Department and the Government have many prevention initiatives under way.”
“I agree with what Senator Byrne said earlier on. They felt compelled to support their colleagues. I still say again that the far right element that might have attended got their video clip. They were horsed out, and rightly so. This was about fuel and the straw that broke the camel's back was the 3 cent. We have addressed that today and rectified it. We need to ensure that when we are having round-table solutions, we have more voices within that room. There is an element. It is not against any particular organisation but I genuinely believe that we need to have that diversification. We have seen that for the 100 years that Fianna Fáil has been a party. We have become smaller because there are more voices coming into all the Chambers.”
“Absolutely and why should not it be on a day on which the Government is actually passing Financial Resolutions in relation to €500 million? If that is a Government that is not listening and acting, I do not know what it is. I went to the protest last Tuesday morning in Portumna. There were tractors on the bridge in Portumna. I was able to walk over to every one of those farmers there and shake their hands. I knew them by name. I dispute what Senator Flynn said that they were infiltrated by the far right. These are hard-working farmers who get up to go out. They are hauliers and agri-contractors. They are the people who provide the food. They are our primary food producers. They did their day of protest and they left. The protest then rolled on into Galway. The local farmers felt compelled to support it.”
“I propose, notwithstanding anything in Standing Orders or the Order of the House today, that statements on fuel protests will conclude at 7.30 p.m., if not previously concluded, and No. 2 shall be taken at 7.30 p.m. or on the conclusion of No. 1, whichever is the earlier.”
“This would allow the REOs to ensure that all of those who are responsible for meals on wheels would, in turn, have adequate funding, not just for their work from Monday to Friday but also to provide meals on wheels that are being delivered through many day care centres and that they are able to get to the most vulnerable on a seven-days-a-week basis. That would be really welcome, and I would appreciate the opportunity.”
“The visitors are very welcome. I want to raise the issue of meals on wheels. At its meeting earlier this morning, the social protection committee had representatives from a number of the LEADER companies before it. They were setting out their strategy for the next five years. Representatives from the Offaly Local Development Company raised the fact that it is providing meals on wheels and that there is a shortage of funding for it. When we are having the conversation about the cost of fuel, we also need to be cognisant of the needs of older persons. Could we also have a conversation or a debate with the Minister of State with responsibility for older persons in the interests of ensuring that the six regional executive officers, REOs, have sufficient funding?”
“At the same time, TII is totally oblivious and unaware of the health and safety needs and the need for safety measures there. I want a discussion on it. I want us to review the Act. It is part of our function as legislators to ensure that we can look at road Acts to ensure they can be addressed to meet the growing needs and safety of our young population. If we want to encourage people to be active, to cycle and walk to school, we have to put the tools in place and we need to have a real discussion about the active travel programme.”
“I really want to see that Act reviewed because there is a complete disconnect between what is happening in the local authorities and TII. Transport Infrastructure Ireland has three functions. One is in relation to the operation network. Then it has the capital programme and the professional safety network. I am no different from any other Senator here. The N65 runs right through the town where I live. There is no traffic calming. There is one pedestrian crossing. The N65 goes on forever when you come into Portumna, but on the outskirts of it we have a village, a little place called Woodpark, that does not have lights or a footpath. It is in the environs of Portumna. I have no doubt everybody else experiences what I am talking about.”
“I would like to request that the Minister for Transport come before the House so we could have statements on transport matters. I totally agree with what Senator Collins has said. I also agree completely with what Senator Kennelly raised in his Commencement matter this morning. We all understand that the Minister for Transport has responsibility for overall policy and Exchequer funding in respect of the national roads programme. Once the funding arrangements have been put in place with Transport Infrastructure Ireland, under the Roads Acts 1993 to 2015 and in line with the national development plan, the planning, design, improvement and upgrading of individual roads is a matter for TII in conjunction with the local authorities.”
“At the end of the day, whether they are in urban or rural Ireland, as Senator Boyhan has said, and regardless of where they are located there has to be a recognition for this crime. When someone's tools are stolen it is not just the property that is taken. It is their independence, their income, their ability to work and their piece of mind. They have in most cases come inside the front gate to touch that van so they have also impacted on a person's family home. I support what has been brought forward in this Bill and in getting a Second Stage reading. I welcome the Minister’s remarks.”
“In the case of robbery and aggravated burglary, the maximum sentence is life imprisonment. Where my colleague is coming from is asking when enough is enough. When do we have a standardisation of a minimum sentence? I know that is probably difficult. However, when you take away somebody's income and their right to work, support their family and educate their children, that has to carry some burden and some bearing. I am not saying the Judiciary does not take this into consideration but we need to be conscious that when a crime like this comes before our court system, it has to be recognised for what it is. It is taking people's ability to work and support their family.”
“There is the work on operations Thor and Táirge and the rural safety plan strengthening safety in our community. The practical measure they normally hold at the beginning of September for the property app and property marking is helping people protect what is theirs. I saw it in Portumna Garda station last September, and I saw a queue of people going in to see how they could mark their trailers and pieces of equipment. It is welcome to see. Like everything else, I have no doubt there are issues with this Bill but I support the principle of it. While I am aware the Criminal Justice (Theft and Fraud Offences) Act 2001 provides a maximum sentence of ten years' imprisonment in the case of offences of theft and handling of stolen property, where a work equipment theft involves a burglary, the maximum sentence may be up to 14 years.”
“It is the farmer in the middle of calving season, the tradesperson heading to work the next morning and the musician preparing for the performance. Overnight, it is gone. When the tools are taken work stops, income stops and lives are disrupted. These are not just items. These are livelihoods as was said in the Senator's opening remarks. It is not just theft. It is the theft of a person's ability to work. We must be honest that a lot of these thefts go unreported. People just absorb the loss and replace what they can and move on. There is the fear that if they report it and put it through the insurance that the insurance goes up. People just carry the loss a lot of the way. I also acknowledge the work An Garda Síochána is doing to continue to target organised crime.”
“I welcome this debate on the Criminal Justice (Theft and Fraud Offences) (Amendment) (Work Equipment) Bill 2026. I, too, compliment Senator Murphy. Coming from east Galway, the Senator and I both understand the plight of tradespeople who have been victims of these offences that have been going on not just for weeks or months, but continuously. I would go one step further than Senator Murphy and extend the Bill beyond construction tools. I think of musicians and the only tools they have, be they the harp or their gear. They are impacted equally, and they drive that white van they have to reverse up at night-time to protect it. It is the theft of tools and of equipment people depend on every day.”
“At the same time, from a recreational development point of view, which is one of Coillte's main pillars, the upgrade of Portumna Forest Park is of utmost importance.”
“While there are fantastic amenities in the west of the county, it is important that they are balanced and that we would have a fit-for-purpose recreational park in Portumna with basic amenities, including toilet accessibility and an eating area. We also need to ensure biodiversity is alive and well in it. My plea today is that, through the Leader's good offices, we have statements in the House to understand Coillte's decision-making process. I would love for the Minister to come in and explain to us how Coillte made decisions that did not see accessibility as its key, number one priority for its recreational parks. I understand that Storm Éowyn has put a huge financial burden on Coillte and that there are years of timber on the ground.”
“I raise with the Leader an issue he has heard me speak about before. It relates to Portumna Forest Park. Regrettably, in the past two weeks, Coillte has decided not to include it as part of its strategic master plan. It has chosen other sites in Roscommon, Wicklow and Cork as its top three. Regrettably, we have been left off the list. Coillte walked off the pitch in Portumna 20 years ago when it was to do a strategic investment. It has only been recently that it started working with the local authority, Galway County Council. There were good suggestions within the strategic plan, the provision of toilet facilities being one. Easy access, upgrading trails and walks were also included.”
“Look at climate – it will be where people do not have to drive. There is a student population we do not have accommodation for. That developer is doing everything to tick the box. The Minister has it all addressed here because I know he must have heard similar stories based on how he has laid out his plans. I looked through his statement and actions 9, 15, 8, 20, 22 and 28 would address every single one of these. If this goes to arbitration we will be another two years before we can come out of it and then the planning permission would be running short. My story is no different from anyone else’s. Unfortunately, we are chasing a runaway car and it is really hard to catch up.”
“When they ask the semi-State organisation if they can progress to stage 2 of the development, a new contract is required and there is a new set of fees. The developer has already paid the semi-State a holding fee to be able to do this and now they face having to pay a new fee for development. It is renegotiated and the semi-State says, “No”. That semi-State organisation has a reputation, not just in Galway. I cannot attempt to mention names or anything because it will go straight into arbitration and it will tie up those 484 units for a year or two years. That is the only site in Galway that has planning permission for development. The Minister said it here himself about developer-led infrastructure. It is the developer's own money, along with other units, to support the development of this project.”
“There would be a two-stage process whereby the site would be made shovel-ready before the houses were put on site and there would be urban regeneration on an entire area that had previously been green fields. Imagine that the project gets caught in judicial review and instead of getting permission to allow work for seven years the developer gets caught in the planning process, which takes over five years, and Covid lands and everything else, but it has cost €7.5 million to develop the site. This is in the city and involves approximately 470 units – I will not say what sort of units. Then the semi-State organisation comes along and says the developer only has a year and a half left. The developer tries to make progress and gets to a point where planning permission has been and they are ready to get shovels in the ground.”
“We have good infrastructure in our roads, schools and health system – those are still there – but the minute there is an issue with one part of this fabric, we end up with an ageing population that needs a different dynamic of support. I will speak hypothetically for a moment. I will not give the name of anything. I will share a story with the Minister which is probably a classic example of what he or others might experience. Imagine a leading town in the west, perhaps in Galway, where a builder-developer came along some years ago and engaged with a semi-State organisation. Part of that was that a design and plan could be put together and the whole planning process and development gone through.”