Mairéad Farrell
Galway West · Sinn Féin · Ireland
“Working people, whether unionist, nationalist or other, have been failed by partition because at the end of the day, a Westminster Parliament is making decisions on behalf of their communities. Irish unity has really got the potential to deliver for all of our communities, including those communities.”
“Is í an cheist ná céard go díreach atá chun tarlú anois. Cad iad na chéad céimeanna eile? Thug mé cuairt ar an scoil Dé hAoine seo chaite agus chonaic mé nach bhfuil go leor spáis inti. Tá sé le feiceáil go soiléir go bhfuil na ranganna riachtanais speisialta agus, ar ndóigh, an seomra ranga breise ag teastáil go géar.”
“Ar mhaithe le soiléiriú iomlán, ón méid a thuigim, bhí maoiniú curtha ar fáil don tionscnamh seo. Is léir go bhfuil sé seo ag teastáil. Cuirfidh mé chomhthéacs air seo. Is scoil bheag í seo i mBéal an Daingin, ach is scoil láidir í. Tagann daoine ó cheantair éagsúla chun a gcuid páistí a chur chuig an scoil seo.”
“I really welcome the decision by the Tánaiste and the Government to have these statements on the fiscal implications of a united Ireland. It is crucial that we continue with debates of this type.”
“That needs to change in the context of this debate because we are talking about a new and united Ireland that will include a new and different perspective on the opportunities that we see for us all from an economic perspective when it comes to a united Ireland When we are planning for this, we need to look at that in terms of the economi…”
“Without proper planning and preparation for Irish unity, we completely and utterly risk missing this seismic opportunity we have to create a new economy and seize this historic opportunity. It is absolutely essential that we begin preparations now.”
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“We undoubtedly have an epidemic when it comes to violence, abuse and harassment of women and we need to deal with and take this seriously. We need a holistic approach to this. When we talk about education, this needs to be for everyone. What was clear from this story was that the supports were not there and Ella did not feel she had support from the university or the accommodation provider. It is clear we need to look at how this is dealt with at every single level. Of course, we need to do everything in our power to ensure women are safe on campuses. It is not just about feeling safe; it is about being safe and ensuring we are all safe. I appreciate the Minister's remarks. It is something an Teachta McGettigan and I will continue to raise and work on. Let us hope we can get a good resolution out of it.”
“I appreciate the Minister is taking this seriously. I can hear that from the background he has and from what he has said here today. I appreciate and welcome this. We must ensure we have an absolute zero-tolerance approach. My concern, however, is that despite having Zero Tolerance: Third National Strategy on Domestic, Sexual and Gender Based Violence 2022-26, we are nearing the end of that period and are seeing the number of cases rise. I commend Ella and others who have come forward and shared their experiences because, as we know, we only hear of certain experiences; we do not hear of all of them. I ask the Minister to make this an absolute priority in his time in the role. I can see and hear he is taking this seriously and I welcome that.”
“What really stuck me was the fact that there was a WhatsApp group with over 200 young men discussing, viewing or participating in it. As Ella said, just imagine 200 boys against one girl. We need to do better for our young women and equally we need to do better for our young men. What strategy will the Minister bring into our colleges to deal with this in terms of education, and also in terms of the ways the universities can deal with these types of issues so that if women receive this type of harassment they have immediate support from their colleges?”
“It turned out that a WhatsApp group had been created of 200 young men who all wanted to target her house. Frighteningly, they knew not only the house number but the room in which she was living and they congregated at the back of the house outside her window shouting and chanting. She reported this to the accommodation provider but nothing was done at that point. This continued the following night with doorbells ringing in the middle of the night, eggs being thrown at the door and yoghurt being put on the door handle. This continued on over a number of nights. It escalated to attempts to kick in her door. There is no other way of putting this other than to say that this is an incredibly frightening experience. When I heard this story, I found it deeply concerning.”
“I appreciate the fact that we are having this debate this morning. I thank the Minister for that. Over the last week, we have seen a rise in the conversation about the negative impact social media and the Internet can have on our boys and our young men. This conversation was sparked by the Netflix show "Adolescence". Last week, we also saw two content creators use their platforms to share their own experiences of harassment. I take this opportunity to share Ella Deasy's experience. She moved to on-campus accommodation in University of Limerick in September 2024. Later she found out that a young man had created a TikTok in which he shared his hopes for the year ahead which included throwing eggs at Ella Deasy's house. That of course could have been taken with a pinch of salt but unfortunately it did not end there.”
“Tonight marks eight weeks since Storm Éowyn, but people across Connemara are still without broadband or a telephone service. Any of us who have tried to contact, deal with or get answers from the network providers have been met with absolute nonsense. No dates or information have been provided. This is very serious. I have been informed that if there is an emergency situation involving a child at school, the parents cannot be contacted. Has the Tánaiste been in contact with these network providers? If he has not, will he please get in contact with them? It has been eight weeks. The situation needs to be sorted.”
“On a personal level, this is absolutely devastating for myself and my young son as we are facing homelessness. There is nowhere for people in Galway city and county to go because the authorities there do not have the necessary emergency accommodation and rental properties. In this very rural area, which is part of Connemara, there is literally nowhere to go. There are concerns about the memo that was sent out in terms of the amount of funding that would be there and the particular restrictions. I urge the Minister to consider all of this - consider what this woman is saying - when he makes his decision.”
“She states: Mairéad a chara, I am contacting you directly as I am under huge pressure to ascertain where the application under the tenant in situ scheme stands for the purchase of the property I'm renting. My landlord has made an application to sell the property under the tenant in situ scheme for some time and is being frustrated by the lack of progress and has decided to put the house up for sale on the open market. My notice of termination expired in early January and I am fearful that the house will be sold in the very near future. I understand that there was an issue with the council receiving its budget allocation for 2025 but I hope that this has been resolved at this stage. If the house is not purchased under this scheme, it will be an incredible pity as the house would be a very good investment especially in such a rural area.”
“Homeless accommodation in Galway city and county is full. This means that at least two councils cannot provide accommodation in cases of emergency. At the same time, if somebody is trying to get a HAP property in Galway city or county, it is nearly to impossible to find one. If somebody in Galway city or county gets an eviction notice, what is the option available to him or her? He or she can hope that he or she can get something under the tenant in situ scheme, which is something that has worked in Galway city and county. However, significant numbers of people are now in limbo. I was contacted by a woman tonight who wrote to me about her case. I will read it out because it shows the pressure she is under.”
“Chomh maith leis sin, caithfidh muid a chinntiú gur féidir le gnáthphobail na Gaeltachta fanacht sa Ghaeltacht. Tá bánú na Gaeltachta ag tarlú. Sin an fáth go bhfuil an feachtas, BÁNÚ, ann de bharr nach bhfuil daoine in ann fanacht ina gceantair féin. Chuala muid an seachtain seo arís é. D’ardaigh bean óg, Caitríona Ní Chualáin, an cheist seo arís. Níl sí in ann tógáil ina ceantar féin in Indreabhán. Níl daoine in ann teach a thógáil ná teach a fháil ar cíos agus níl siad in ann teach a cheannach. Tá sé fíorthábhachtach go mbeidh sé seo i gcroílár aon phlean atá ag an Rialtas seo don Ghaeltacht le go mbeidh daoine in ann fanacht sa cheantar agus teaghlach a thógáil ann.”
“Tá mé an-bhuíoch as an deis labhairt faoi thábhacht na Gaeilge sa Gaeltacht agus Seachtain na Gaeilge faoi lánseol. Ar ndóigh, labhraíonn muintir na Gaeltachta agus lucht na Gaeilge an teanga chuile lá den bhliain. Tá sé fíorthábhachtach, áfach, go dtapaíonn muid an deis chun cinntiú go bhfuil muid ag tabhairt na tacaíochta atá ag teastáil uathu, agus ó na hoifigigh pleanála teanga, na coistí agus na pobail dheonacha atá taobh thiar dóibh atá ag obair sna limistéir phleanála teanga, sna bailte seirbhíse Gaeltachta agus sna líonraí Gaeilge sa Tuaisceart agus sa Deisceart, go háirithe sna dá bhaile seirbhíse Gaeltachta agus an deich limistéar i mo Dháilcheantar féin, ó Bhaile Chláir na Gaillimhe go Cloch na Rón, agus ó na hOileáin Árainn go Dúiche Sheoighe.”
“This will allow contracting authorities to see what has worked well, because obviously plenty of spending works well and we need to see that, but we also need to see what does not work well. The Bill makes sense and I hope the Minister will be able to support it when I bring it forward. The third thing we need to do is reform the freedom of information process. There has been some reform but we need far more such that it will not be the case that an investigative journalist puts in an FOI request, is refused and submits an appeal that is then granted. If that happens, what we should do is reimburse the sum that was spent on the appeal. Again, I will bring forward legislation on freedom of information, but this motion is about the scandalous waste of money and we need to do something about that.”
“I brought forward a Bill in the previous Dáil, which I will reintroduce in this Dáil, called the Transparency and Social Value in Public Procurement Bill. It will create greater transparency, oversight and accountability in procurement spending in order that the Minister will know exactly what is happening to the public money that is being spent but also that the public will know how it is spent. The data will be used to look at the type of procurement procedures used and the performance of the contractor, as we heard in the context of contractors, including details on cost overruns, information on non-compliant expenditure, the use and type of social clauses in contracts, which are so important, and details on contracts awarded to small and medium sized enterprises.”
“Is it just because an investigative journalist puts in a freedom of information, FOI, request and tells us what is happening that we discover it? What we need to hear from the Opposition, as we have done today, but also from the Government, is what exactly we can do to stop this waste of money. First, we in Sinn Féin have said there needs to be a full audit, completely and utterly transparent across Departments and State agencies, in order that we can get under the bonnet of the scandalous waste of money under the watch of Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael. Second, we need to look at how public money is spent in the procurement process. It is absolutely obvious that we should have data on how our money is being spent.”
“The waste of money, however, is not just about the money itself that has been wasted. It is also about the opportunity cost. When we look at the bike shed we have to pass at the back of this building, which cost well over €300,000, I think about the fact it would cost €300,000 to deliver an ambulance on Inis Oírr. Is rud fíorbhunúsach é go mbeadh otharcharr ag ceantar, ach níl otharcharr ar Inis Oírr. Chosnódh sé sin €300,000. Bhí costas €336,000 ar an bike shed. Tá sé scannalach an bealach a bhfuil Fianna Fáil is Fine Gael ag caitheamh le hairgead na ndaoine. Caithfear athrú a dhéanamh ar an gceist sin láithreach. Teastaíonn otharcharr ó Inis Oírr láithreach. For most people, the real worry is that this is just the tip of the iceberg and that we do not really know what is going on.”
“When we talk about €1.4 million on a security hut or more than €300,000 for a bike shed at the back of this building, we are talking about people's money, which they have paid in through taxes and which they entrust to the Government to spend in their best interest and that of this State. At the same time, while people see this blatant waste of money, they are looking at their children waiting for an assessment of need, at their older parents waiting on hospital trolleys or at carers in their community struggling just to get by. It is clear from people that enough is enough when it comes to this kind of wastage of public money. The public deserve to know the extent to which Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael are burning through their money and what it is being spent on.”
“I thank Independent Ireland for bringing forward this motion, which speaks to the real and justified anger that is out there. It is anger at the blatant waste of people's money by this Government and the previous one. In the dying days of the latter, we had a constant drip feed of shocking levels of wasted money, such as €336,000 on a bike shed, €1.4 million on a security hut, €9 million on phone pouches and the biggest one of all, €1.5 billion on a children's hospital. Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael Governments have become synonymous with the waste of public money.”
“As the new Minister of State is from Galway and understands the importance of the Mervue bus stop, I want to highlight it here.”
“We all understand how difficult the traffic situation is in Galway and how it impacts people's lives every day when they are commuting, but my questions are specific because I have been dealing with it for a while. Does the NTA intend to implement new contracts with City Direct between 2025 and 2027? I am aware the new network will replace all current services. Does the Minister of State mean that the new network will be run by Bus Éireann alone or will other contractors play a role? I am concerned because this is something we have been waiting for for quite a long time. The 15 minutes he mentioned is extremely welcome as long as we keep our bus stop in Mervue. It is essential. I have raised that on numerous occasions.”
“If there is a two-year gap between the end of the current City Direct contracts and the network changes, would that mean the NTA intends to implement new contracts with City Direct between 2025 and 2027?”
“Go raibh maith agat, a Aire Stáit. It is good to be talking to a Galway Minister on these issues. The latest I have on this states the dates for implementation of the new service have not yet been set but it is anticipated the changes would happen in 2027. I thank the Minister of State for his response but it is disappointing to hear that the BusConnects network changes have been pushed back again. What is causing the delay? I was previously told the changes would start to come in during 2025. More recently, I was told 2026 and now I am hearing about 2027. Will the Minister of State clarify how the 2027 date is compatible with the contracts in place?”
“Chabhródh sé sin. Ciallaíonn sé freisin go mbeadh scoileanna na ETBs ag fáil an t-airgead céanna is atá na scoileanna deonacha a fháil, rud a d’ardaigh mé cheana sa choiste Gaeilge agus Gaeltachta. Chomh maith leis sin, ciallaíonn sé go gcaithfimid a chinntiú go bhfuil tithíocht ar fáil sa nGaeltacht. Tá chuile shórt faoin nGaeltacht agus an Ghaeilge fite fuaite leis an mbealach gur féidir le daoine óga fanacht sa nGaeltacht agus a gcuid clainne nó teaghlaigh féin a thógáil sa nGaeltacht. Ciallaíonn sé sin go bhfuil tithíocht, bunsheirbhísí agus chuile shórt mar sin ar fad bainteach leis seo. Tá sé fíorthábhachtach go mbeadh an deis ag chuile dhuine a gcuid oideachais ar fad a dhéanamh trí Ghaeilge. Tuigim an tábhacht leis sin mar is sa scoil a d’fhoghlaim mé mo chuid Gaeilge.”
“Chomh maith leis sin, bhíodh liúntas ann do mhúinteoirí a bhí ag teagasc trí Ghaeilge agus a bhí ag obair ar na hoileáin amach ón gcósta. Is dhá rud é sin gur féidir linn a thabhairt ar ais. Dhéanfadh sé níos éasca é do na múinteoirí sin dul go dtí na hoileáin amach ón gcósta, mar shampla. Tá níos mó airgid i gceist le dul amach chuig na hoileáin agus fanacht orthu. Ba chóir an dá liúntas sin a thabhairt ar ais láithreach. Bhí mise ag cruinniú poiblí ar an Domhnach de chuid BÁNÚ. An rud a bhí baill an ghrúpa sin ag caint air ná gur daoine óga iad siúd atá ag iarraidh fanacht sa Ghaeltacht. Nuair atáimid ag smaoineamh ar mhúinteoirí agus ar dhaoine óga a mhealladh chun na Gaeltachta, chun fanacht agus múineadh sa Ghaeltacht, caithfimid breathnú ar chuile shórt. Ciallaíonn sé sin gur gá dúinn breathnú ar an liúntas sin a luaigh mé.”
“Tá a fhios againn go bhfuil deacrachtaí le múinteoirí a earcú agus a choinneáil sna scoileanna atá againn faoi láthair ach tá sé deich n-uaire níos measa agus muid ag caint ar an nGaeloideachas, agus deich n-uaire níos measa fós nuair atáimid ag caint ar an oideachas sa Ghaeltacht nó ar na hoileáin amach ón gcósta. Tá cúpla rud gur féidir linn a dhéanamh chun é sin a dhéanamh níos éasca. Ar an gcéad dul síos, caithfimid breathnú ar an máistir gairmiúil sa oideachas, MGO, atá ann in Ollscoil na Gaillimhe faoi láthair. Caithfimid a chinntiú gur féidir linn an cúrsa sin a leathnú amach, go mbeadh níos mó daoine in ann é a dhéanamh más mian leo é sin a dhéanamh, ach chomh maith leis sin go mbeadh MGO trí Ghaeilge in ollscoileanna éagsúla ar fud na tíre ionas go mbeadh níos mó múinteoirí á oiliúint againn trí mheán na Gaeilge.”
“She had to start a new housing application with Galway City Council, which means she is now only days on the list in a county where you need to be ten years on the list to get a housing solution. This is another barrier erected by the Government and one this Government can change. This woman is now staying in her mother's house with her six children. It is very overcrowded. This is straining their relationship, which further isolates her and weakens her support network. Galway City Council cannot even offer her emergency accommodation because it is full. This woman told me she is thinking of returning to the abusive relationship because she has no other option. This is absolutely horrifying, but it is a barrier that is placed by the State in front of women. This situation needs to be changed.”
“Unfortunately, however, we see far too often that women who need help and seek support do not find it. In this Chamber last week, I raised the institutional barriers, specifically around housing, placed by this State in front of women trying to leave domestic abusive situations. This week, I met another woman who had been in exactly this type of situation. She left a very abusive and violent situation with her six children. This woman had been living in a council property in another county. She left to go to Galway where she had family support, but because of the institutional barriers put in place by this State she was not allowed an intercounty transfer. This meant she had nowhere to go.”
“I thank Deputy Coppinger for bringing forward this motion and for campaigning inside and outside this Chamber, as well as all those people who have joined us today because it is such an important issue. In the last year, we have seen reports of domestic violence to the Garda rise by 8% across the State but by 11% in Galway. We have already seen women violently killed in 2025. My thoughts are with those women and the people who love them. Tracking the real incidence of domestic violence is extremely difficult because in many cases it is kept secret or managed privately through whisper networks. It is positive that women are coming forward with their stories and seeking help. This is a public safety issue and women should not be left to carry this burden on their own.”
“He noticed he had not heard anything back with regard to his driving test and then he discovered it had absolutely no record of him ever applying for a driving test. That was only the first in a litany of issues he had accessing that driving test. We hear an awful lot from Government that it will sort it out. It is high time it is sorted out and let this motion be a first step to doing so.”
“I met a homeless woman this week who had been waiting six months to get a driver test, which would enable her to go further out to try to access housing. There are young people who are studying and who need a car to commute who are waiting on their driving test. One woman contacted me today to say she was supposed to have it in February. It was pushed back to March and she expects it to be pushed back even further while at the same time she is not able to commute by herself to university or to access third level education easily because, as we know, in the west of Ireland there are huge issues with access to public transport. At the same time, she is having to pay extra for insurance. Another man told me he was waiting for three months.”
“Gabhaim buíochas leis an Leas-Cheann Comhairle. Comhghairdeas leat as do phost nua, a Leas-Cheann Comhairle. I want to reiterate what has been said in the Chamber. Many people, especially young people, are waiting ridiculously long periods of time to access a driver test. In Galway, for example, the waiting list is over 3,000. That is 3,000 people who are waiting to get a driver test so that they can commute for work. A considerable issue I have encountered is that of commuting for housing. People are now waiting for more than seven months even through we are told it should be a ten-week period. As the Minister of State knows, there are no HAP properties available in Galway city within the scheme's limits, which means that many people have to move out to more rural areas to access housing.”
“Over the last year or so I have had an increasing number of parents of children of secondary school-going age who have not been allocated a school place. For a small number of people, this goes on months into the next school year. There is an added complication whereby on the school waiting list it is not clear what children have already been allocated a place in another school or are already in another school. Some are offered school places very far away and for a working parent it is just impossible to bring them there. Many parents have already been on to me about next September. The parents and kids are, naturally, really stressed about this situation. Can the Minister ensure this issue is a priority for her and her Department in future? It is becoming a bigger issue and it would be really good if we could get it sorted out.”
“At the time, I wrote to the Minister for housing and he, unfortunately, completely refused to engage on the issue. It is clear to me that we are continuing with these institutional barriers that mean that women cannot get away from domestic abuse and domestic violence. I have seen so much domestic abuse and domestic violence presenting in my office over the past number of months - far more than I have ever seen in the past ten years - and every time that abuse is disclosed to me, it is specifically linked to the housing crisis they are in and the impact that that has on their ability to leave that domestic abuse situation. This is something that this Government needs to take seriously. We need to make sure that this Government's housing policies do everything possible to support women who need to leave domestic abuse situations.”
“At this point, she was desperate. It was time for her to move on from the refuge. She had seen other women in the refuge end up in emergency accommodation when they were not able to find anywhere to rent. She had also seen women return to the home where they had been suffering abuse because they could not get anywhere else to live. That is horrifying, especially when we have already seen women killed in 2025. She decided to agree to the tenancy in Mayo. Because of current HAP scheme rules, she would get the Mayo HAP rents but pay the Galway differential rate. That is a lower HAP rate and a higher differential payment in this case so she is squeezed in every way. To me, those are institutional barriers that we place in front of women who are trying to get away from abuse.”
“What can he do? He cannot move somewhere extremely far away. Even the HAP place finders find it impossible to find places for people to rent. This is not what you call a functioning housing policy. Even when a person through some kind of stroke of luck is able to find somewhere suitable to rent with HAP, it is barely enough support to keep the rent paid. Most people are paying a sizable top-up rent to their landlord every month in addition to the HAP contribution. I had one particular case, and I will detail it to the Minister of State here because it is one of those cases that really struck me. I had one woman who had left an abusive relationship and was temporarily staying in a refuge while she was looking for a place to rent. In County Galway, there was nothing affordable but she finally found a place in Mayo.”
“That is something that Galway cannot continue to have and cannot take more of. The local authorities are working extremely hard to keep people out of homelessness but they are struggling because of this Government's failed policies. Emergency accommodation in Galway is full. There is a waiting list. I am dealing with many families who are either couch surfing, living with family or living with friends, and that can be going on for years. People in Galway can also access homeless HAP supports but these are meaningless because there are no rental properties in Galway that fall under HAP. What are people supposed to do? Last week I had somebody in with me who was trying to get HAP and is in homeless accommodation with two young children, and he needs to be near the hospital for medical purposes. He has to stay beside the hospital.”
“Rents in Galway have been far too high for many years and they are only continuing to rise. We see, in Galway city, that the average rent is now over €2,100. In Galway county, it is over €1,500. That is a 70% increase just in the past five years. This is when rent pressure zones were supposed to keep rents at an affordable level but like so many of the previous Government's housing policies, they have absolutely failed in meeting their goal. Now the new Government intends on continuing its failed policies and the Taoiseach is talking about scrapping rent pressure zones, one of the only measly protections renters have. The reality is we need to ban rent increases completely. The reality is that, for people across Galway city, as rents increase, all it is doing is pushing ever more people into homelessness.”
“I am asking that the Tánaiste make himself available to the House to answer questions regarding his party’s investigation into Senator Martin Conway for inappropriate behaviour towards a female staff member. We wrote to the Tánaiste and the Ceann Comhairle requesting that time be set aside and we also raised this at the Business Committee but this has been declined. We know there was an investigation by Fine Gael but what we do not know is what the Tánaiste knew or when he knew it. We also know that a payment of €10,000 was made -----”
“I have not congratulated the Minister and the Minister of State on their new positions so I do that now and I hope we can all work together constructively.”
“It is very difficult for people to believe that this will be taken seriously by the Government because we have been seeing more crazy sums of public money being wasted. I will have a Bill forthcoming in this Dáil which will clearly help to identify cost overruns, deficient contractors and wasteful public procurement spending of public moneys. I know this is the first time the Minister and I have worked together like this, but when I point out issues and things I do not agree with, I like to come with legislation that I believe can tackle them. I hope we can work constructively together on these issues and try to bring in legislation that will stop this kind of wasteful spend. Obviously, I do not expect the Minister to agree to my Bill when he has not seen it, but I do hope we can work constructively together.”
“It is very hard for people to have faith in the Government, definitely on the back of what the previous Government oversaw regarding the national children’s hospital, cost overruns, there being no idea of a completion date, and a change in completion dates. The current Government needs to take this seriously, just as it needs to take seriously the need to stop the wastage of public money. It is incredible that there is a wall – I looked at it – that cost the guts of half a million euro. It is also incredible that we have a bike shelter here that cost an arm and a leg and a security hut just up the road from here that cost €1.4 million. Regarding all such matters, it is extremely important that the Government take value for money seriously and tackle the issues of cost overruns and completion dates.”
“I would like it if the Minister detailed the steps that are going to be taken to ensure that planned expenditure on projects under the national development plan are properly costed and that the projects have realistic start and completion dates. Many have been frustrated in that we have seen far too many cost overruns and a lack of completion dates.”
“Why is the Government making this decision and railroading it through the Dáil? We have two cases going forward. The prudent thing to do would be to see what comes out of them before bringing this legislation through the Dáil.”
“I do not think the Minister answered my question from last night when I asked which super junior Minister would be impacted by the legislation. If only three were being allowed, which super junior Minister was not getting the full whack money if he or she was the fourth super junior Minister? Maybe the Minister can enlighten us on that. He is missing the point here. He is talking about what is happening in other countries. We can agree or disagree on that. We can have that argument. The point here is that if the Minister believes so strongly that this needs to happen, why does he not ask the people? The Constitution is clear about Cabinet confidentiality, the 15 Ministers in Cabinet and all that. If the Minister feels that strongly about it and really believes it, then he should go to the people and ask them.”
“I said last night and will say again that the Bill was railroaded through the Dáil yesterday. It was, again, jobs for the boys, and Mercs and perks. What sickens me is the fact we are always told that things cannot be done overnight but things can be done overnight when it means certain people get more perks, money and all of that. When we see the types of crises we have and the type of waste of public money that the previous Government, and this Government, have engaged in, it is absolutely outrageous. We were very clear last night we are totally opposed to this Bill. We will make that very clear again today in the Seanad. Out of interest, what legal advice did the Minister get on this? Did he seek independent legal advice on this? We know there are two cases before the High Court at the moment.”
“This question follows our discussions last night on the Minister's proposed legislation on super junior Ministers and on increasing their number. Will the Minister give an update on that? The legislation was railroaded through last night and the same thing looks set to be done today in the Seanad.”
“During Storm Darragh, what happened was that some of the poles fell and some of the wires fell also. It was just a little bit of snow. It was not a horrendous amount, but it managed to stop all telecommunications for a two-week period. Can the Minister, who sits at Cabinet, prioritise ensuring that there is an investigation into why the 999 call system was not working and that this does not happen again?”
“I thank the Minister. The review of the NDP is something I will contribute to. I hear what the Minister is saying. We need investment in roads. We need investment in public transport as well across the areas in question. When I am talking about basic infrastructure, I mean those 38 KV lines and the lines that run directly into people's homes. Everything is crumbling. If the Minister travels across Connemara, he will see poles split in half. From when the original damage happened in November, there are still lines lying across the ground that have not been fixed. There is a massive amount of work that needs to be done, specifically in respect of simple things such as replacing or repairing poles. There are things that we need to look at. With the weather changing, things will become increasingly difficult.”
“What I want to see, and what I hope the Minister will take seriously - I think he will - is investment in buninfreastuchtúr or basic infrastructure, that is, the telephone poles, the masts, etc. Serious investment is needed. It will take a long time. Such investment will give rise to a longer term gain, but we need to have a plan in place. Will the Minister be putting a plan in place for that?”
“Mar gheall go raibh an tAire ina Aire Stáit le freagracht as an nGaeltacht, tá a fhios agam go dtuigeann sé go maith an easpa infreastruchtúir atá i gConamara. I know, from the Deputy Chambers' time as Minister of State for the Gaeltacht, he travelled around the Gaeltacht areas. He travelled extensively around Connemara. That gives the Minister good insight as to the real issues in terms of that basic infrastructure piece in Connemara. People have now been almost two weeks without access to telecommunications. They are being told that they do not even have a date as to when their broadband and telephone lines will be restored. That is ridiculous. This is not the first time it has happened. It also happened in November. It happened for two to three weeks in parts of Connemara as well.”
“Tá sé feicthe againn le coicís anois cé chomh dona is atá an buninfreastuchtúr san iarthar agus i leithéidí Chonamara. We have seen the lack of good quality infrastructure across the west, and particularly in Connemara, over the past two weeks. The Minister has responsibility for infrastructure. What are his plans are to improve the quality of infrastructure in the west?”