Michael Collins
Cork South-West · Independent Ireland · Ireland
“This matter has been raised twice already this morning, but it is hugely important. I will make a personal appeal to the Taoiseach regarding Skyclarys and the further delay that has now arisen. Yesterday, Emma O'Shea came to Leinster House from west Cork with her mother, father and brother.”
“Another huge problem which normally arises in August is that relating to school buses. Parents have no way to get their children to school because of the nearest school rule. The current and previous programmes for Government contain promises that this will be done away with, but nothing has happened. The rule needs to be abolished.”
“Every parent knows that September has become one of the most expensive months of the year. While free schoolbooks are welcome, many families now face growing costs for other items. Parents are being asked to purchase laptops that cost €400 or more, make increased payments for school transport and pay charges to cover examination fees.”
“Either 25 children are left without a school place this September, or two senior infants classes are merged into one class of 34 children. Does the Minister of State agree that schools should not be punished for helping to solve an enrolment crisis? Will he immediately sanction the additional teaching posts required for St.”
“Education should not be measured by means of the distance someone lives from school, and school transport should not be measured on that basis either. I want to raise a matter that Councillor Bill Clear brought to my attention. It is a very serious issue regarding St. Corban’s National School in Naas in County Kildare.”
“I was chairperson of a board of management and know the difficulties that schools face just because they are one or two children short. That can be made up as the year goes on but it is a crisis that Councillor Clear finds unacceptable.”
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“I am heartbroken". Every day matters for Emma. Every delay means more deterioration, more uncertainty and more fear. I am not hear to blame the Taoiseach. I am asking the Taoiseach to get personally involved and to put the full weight of his office behind this issue. I hate to be so blunt, but what happened to Emma's brother cannot be allowed to happen to Emma-----”
“This matter has been raised twice already this morning, but it is hugely important. I will make a personal appeal to the Taoiseach regarding Skyclarys and the further delay that has now arisen. Yesterday, Emma O'Shea came to Leinster House from west Cork with her mother, father and brother. I am in regular contact with Emma, but seeing her here again yesterday fighting courageously for a medication that could help to slow the progression of this cruel disease had a profound impact on me and my staff. Emma is just 26 years of age and is now confined to a wheelchair. Her family knows all too well the reality of Friedreich's ataxia because Emma's brother died from this disease. Last night when Emma got back to west Cork and learned there would be yet another delay, she sent me a text message. Her words were simple: "It is a joke.”
“I was chairperson of a board of management and know the difficulties that schools face just because they are one or two children short. That can be made up as the year goes on but it is a crisis that Councillor Clear finds unacceptable. Schools stepped up to the mark when the Minister asked them to and now they are being punished for doing so. While I am on the floor, I congratulate Councillors Bill Clear and Ger Dunne from our own Independent Ireland team on becoming mayor and deputy mayor of Naas, respectively.”
“Either 25 children are left without a school place this September, or two senior infants classes are merged into one class of 34 children. Does the Minister of State agree that schools should not be punished for helping to solve an enrolment crisis? Will he immediately sanction the additional teaching posts required for St. Corban's before the new school year. I would appreciate if the Minister of State addressed that here. Councillor Bill Clear has raised it as a huge issue. He has been to the school and met the parents. This is a crisis that has popped up in a new school in Bandon, too. It seems to be a crisis that is popping up here and there. Schools that are doing their best are still being punished. Sometimes, there needs to be a bit of movement because, for example, there could be a teacher short.”
“Education should not be measured by means of the distance someone lives from school, and school transport should not be measured on that basis either. I want to raise a matter that Councillor Bill Clear brought to my attention. It is a very serious issue regarding St. Corban’s National School in Naas in County Kildare. It stepped up when the Department came calling, faced with a shortage of junior infants places. That left up to 30 children with nowhere to go. The school agreed to open a third junior infants class and take in an extra 25 pupils at the Department's request. Now, after doing the right thing, the school is being told it will not be given the additional teacher needed to staff that class. That leaves two unacceptable choices.”
“Another huge problem which normally arises in August is that relating to school buses. Parents have no way to get their children to school because of the nearest school rule. The current and previous programmes for Government contain promises that this will be done away with, but nothing has happened. The rule needs to be abolished. That has been promised over many years, but here we are again this year. Parents are on the phone begging me for tickets for school buses. One lady was on to me the other morning to say that her son is going into fifth class. He had a ticket for the past four years and now he does not have a ticket this year. The neighbours are the same situation. That is not good enough. We cannot just grab a ticket from a child who had a ticket before and then find some kind of an excuse as to why that happens.”
“Every parent knows that September has become one of the most expensive months of the year. While free schoolbooks are welcome, many families now face growing costs for other items. Parents are being asked to purchase laptops that cost €400 or more, make increased payments for school transport and pay charges to cover examination fees. For hardworking families with two, three or four children travelling long distances to school, these costs add up very quickly. At the same time, schools are struggling because the capitation funding no longer covers basic day-to-day expenses. Education must be properly funded by Government. It cannot be left to parents and fundraising committees. The State must not create a two-tier system whereby only wealthier families can afford to fully cover their children's education.”
“They will ask how this could happen, how a suspect was able to leave the jurisdiction and how we can ensure that justice is done. Let me be absolutely clear - those seeking refuge in Ireland should be treated fairly and with dignity but equally, anyone who comes here must obey our laws and respect our people. There can be no tolerance for violence against women and no tolerance for anyone who would abuse the generosity of this country. While we must allow the Garda to conduct its investigation and any future legal process to take its course, this tragic case reminds us why public safety must always come first. The protection of victims and potential victims must remain at the centre of every decision we make in this House.”
“There is another issue that has been very much on people's minds in recent days following the tragic death of Jamey Carney in Killarney. First and foremost, our thoughts are with her daughter, the rest of her family and all those who loved her. As Members of this House will know, the Garda has stated that a person of significant interest in the investigation left Ireland shortly before discovery of Ms Carney's body and reports indicate that this individual had previously come to Ireland through the international protection system. If it transpires that someone who came to this country seeking protection abused that welcome and committed such a horrific crime, then the Irish people will rightly ask very serious questions.”
“The principle behind this legislation is straightforward. People should be able to make informed decisions about their own safety when entering a relationship. I support the fact that publication is not automatic. It remains a matter for the courts following a final conviction, with judicial discretion and, in most cases, the consent of the victim. That is an important safeguard. However, we must also ensure that in trying to protect victims, we do not accidentally put them at further risk. Victim privacy must be absolute, particularly in small rural communities where identification can happen more easily. I would also have concerns about the publication of residential addresses and whether this is necessary in most circumstances.”
“To the families who stood beside them through years of trauma, uncertainty and legal proceedings, we acknowledge your strengths, too. I have to say this, though – an apology only has meaning if it is accompanied by action. The greatest tribute we can pay to those who suffered is not another headline or another report gathering dust on a shelf. It is ensuring that every recommendation is examined carefully, implemented where appropriate and followed through in practice.”
“That means ensuring that agencies work together, concerns are acted upon quickly and a child is never dismissed because the evidence is difficult or uncomfortable, and understanding that every delay, missed opportunity and failure to communicate can have lifelong consequences for an innocent child. I also want to acknowledge the extraordinary courage shown by the survivors throughout this process. Some are here in the Gallery. Many carried these experiences for decades. Many built lives while carrying wounds that nobody else could see. Many came forward not because it was easy but because they wanted to make sure that no other child would suffer what they suffered. That courage deserves not only our respect but our gratitude.”
“It succeeds where there is silence and hesitation, where difficult questions are avoided, and where institutions become more concerned with protecting themselves than protecting vulnerable people. That lesson extends far beyond Waterford. It belongs to the whole country. Ireland has learned painful lessons through commission after commission. We have apologised before. We have promised reform before. Some important changes have undoubtedly been made - child protection laws are stronger, Garda procedures have improved and awareness is far greater than it once was - but today’s report reminds us that reform is never finished. The challenge for every generation is to make sure that children are never expected to carry the consequences of adult failures.”
“Children were expected to speak when they were frightened. They were expected to overcome shame that has been deliberately forced upon them. Children were expected to carry secrets that no child should ever have to carry. When some did try to speak, too often they found adults who were unwilling or unable to hear them. That is one of the hardest truths contained in this report. As parents and grandparents, as public representatives and simply as decent human beings, we cannot read these accounts without asking ourselves one question: what if it had been our own son, our own brother, our own grandson? That is the measure by which we should judge every child’s protection system. The report also reminds us of something uncomfortable - evil rarely succeeds on its own.”
“No apology can erase decades of pain, fear, shame or silence but we still owe that apology because for far too long, the voices of victims were ignored while the reputation of the institutions mattered more than the protection of the children. The south east independent commission of investigation paints a deeply disturbing picture. It describes a predatory offender who abused children over many years. It tells us that warning signs, suspicions and opportunities existed to stop that abuse much earlier. It also shows us that while the standards and understanding of child protection in the 1970s and 1980s were very different from today, they were still serious failures of judgment and failures to act, even by the standards of that time. For many years, children carried burdens that adults should have carried for them.”
“Today is not a day for politics. It is not a day for point scoring or trying to win an argument; it is a day for listening, humility and acknowledging the profound suffering endured by those who were failed by the people and institutions that should have protected them. To every survivor who found the courage to come forward, we believe you, we hear you and we are deeply sorry for the vile crimes you endured at the hands of the paedophile Bill Kenneally and for the length of time it took us all entrusted with public office to see your truth vindicated. Nothing said in this Chamber today can undo what happened. No speech can restore a stolen childhood.”
“Emma O'Shea and others living with Friedreich's ataxia are in the Public Gallery and outside the gates of Leinster House for a peaceful protest. Can we have a debate on the current status of Skyclarys reimbursement and will these sufferers have positive news?”
“The man or woman who has to go out to work every day to make a living and to keep the farm going could be degraded. Independent Ireland will fight that tooth and bloody nail if it is the case. It is time to stand up and make clear that a part-time farmer will be respected the very same as a full-time farmer. Every farmer wants to stay at home and work if they can, whether man or woman, but they are left with no choice. In relation to piers and funding, we need to find out. I have been down in Union Hall looking for funding for the past ten years. Every Minister and Taoiseach has arrived down there to promise them funding for the pier and they have never got a brown cent.”
“Likewise for our fishing communities, funding through the European Maritime, Fisheries and Aquaculture Fund, EMFAF, is essential for harbour infrastructure, fleet development, seafood processing and sustaining jobs in coastal areas. With Ireland set to play a key role in these negotiations, will the Minister of State give a clear commitment that the Government will oppose any reductions in CAP funding and will fight to protect fisheries funding? Does the Government support ring-fencing these funds so they cannot be diluted or absorbed into broader national spending priorities? Our farmers, fishers and rural communities need reassurance that they will not be asked to pay for new EU spending priorities. There is a rumour out there that in CAP negotiations the full-time farmer and the part-time farmer will be separated.”
“Deputy Gould is correct. I am not one bit impressed, and the other Michael Collins would not be either. While the discussions at the General Affairs Council were not directly about the Common Agricultural Policy or the Common Fisheries Policy, they were about something just as important, the money that will be available for both from 2028 onwards. Farmers and fishing families across rural Ireland are deeply concerned that new EU priorities such as defence, migration, AI and competitiveness could end up being funded at the expense of traditional programmes that support rural and coastal communities. For many farm families, CAP payments are the difference between staying in business and walking away from the land.”
“If anyone wants to sit in a car to go down, I will show it to them in the morning. There are other issues with regard to people with disabilities. I am fighting for the transport service from Castletownbere to CoAction in Bantry. People need this transport service but for the past six or seven weeks we cannot get answers on whether it will continue. Issues like this are of huge concern.”
“I am involved with Schull Community Care and we had difficulties with this. We paid into the project, which was one of these RAS schemes. We had difficulty in getting two people with intellectual disabilities into one of the houses. We did win the battle but my God it was an uphill battle. Our group struggled for it to happen. It has brought the people joy and this could be the same in every community in the country. Whether it is ten, 12, 20 or 100 houses being considered, a percentage should be given to people with intellectual disabilities to live independently, with a little bit of help. Their families will not be going away; they will certainly be helping and there will also be the help of others. The model in Schull should be copied throughout the country.”
“I urge the Government to provide the long-term planning, resources and commitment these families so desperately need. I was on the board of CoAction for a number of years in a voluntary capacity before I got into politics. That was 15 or 20 years ago and there was talk at that time about a model for independent living for people with intellectual disabilities. It never went from there to where we are today. That model has not really been exercised or brought forward and, where it has, some people find their accommodation might be 60 miles or 70 miles away. This is a bitter pill for people who have cared and saved the State billions of euro down through the years, to think their son or daughter has been taken away from them. We tried to exercise this model in my community and recently we built 12 houses in Schull.”
“Nobody should be forced to move their loved ones miles away from families, friends and everything familiar simply because suitable supports are unavailable in their own community. We also need better data and greater accountability. If the Government does not know the true level of need, it cannot properly plan for the future. Families deserve transparency and they deserve to know that progress is being made. Most of all we need compassion. We need to recognise the incredible dedication of parents and carers who have devoted their lives to looking after loved ones. These families have done their part. They should not have to spend their latter years living with fear and uncertainty. The families behind the Before We Die campaign have shown tremendous courage in speaking out. We owe it to them not just to listen but to act.”
“There are brothers and sisters worried about what responsibilities may suddenly fall on them in the future. There are adults with intellectual disabilities who simply want what the rest of us want: a home, community, independence and a good quality of life. We need a system that plans ahead instead of reacting after the damage is done. We need proper housing options, supported living arrangements, respite services and community supports. We need clear pathways and certainty for families. Most important, we need Departments and agencies working together instead of leaving families to navigate an endless maze of bureaucracy. This issue is particularly challenging in rural Ireland, where families can find themselves with very limited local options.”
“It is a question that no parent should have to carry alone, yet thousands do throughout Ireland today. Parents in their 70s, 80s and even 90s are still providing full-time care because there is nowhere suitable for their loved ones to live. Many are exhausted and worried sick about the future. They live with the constant fear that if something happened to them tomorrow, their son or daughter could be left without the support, security and stability they need. The message from these families is simple and powerful. They want solutions to be put in place before they die and not after. This is a reasonable request. In fact, it is the very least they should expect from the State. Behind every statistic we discuss today is a real person and a real family. There are parents lying awake at night wondering whether anyone is listening.”
“I thank the Social Democrats for tabling the motion, which Independent Ireland will fully support. It is a brilliant motion. I want to put on the record my full support for the Before We Die campaign. I attended a meeting with the group in Cork city recently and I can honestly say it was a greatly attended and very moving meeting. Parents are being left in a crisis situation. This has been coming for a long time. People have been left on their own and it is time for the Government to sit up and take serious action. The campaign is led by parents of adults with intellectual disabilities. These are not people looking for special treatment; they are mothers and fathers who have spent a lifetime caring for their sons and daughters, who are asking one simple question, which is what will happen to their child when they are gone.”
“We believe in careful planning but we also believe that planning for tomorrow cannot come at the expense of dealing with the problems of today. While we welcome sensible preparation and informed discussion, we will be looking carefully at how public money is spent, how communities are consulted and whether the Government can demonstrate the same commitment to solving the crisis that people are facing right now. At the end of the day, people want delivery. They want houses built, they want hospital waiting lists reduced, they want safer communities and they want a Government that is focused on the challenges in front of it today, while responsibly preparing for whatever tomorrow may bring.”
“It cannot become an echo chamber where people only hear views they agree with. All communities must be heard. Those who favour constitutional change must be heard, as must those who have concerns. Respect is absolutely essential. If people are serious about reconciliation, they have to be prepared to listen to views they may not even like. Before any further steps are taken, the people deserve honest answers to practical questions. What would this mean economically? What would it mean for healthcare, taxation, policing, public services and the cost to the taxpayer? These are not side issues. They are the issues that matter to ordinary, hard-working families. Independent Ireland believes in common-sense politics. We believe in dealing with realities, not slogans.”
“Nobody should have any difficulty with governments planning ahead. Good governments are supposed to plan. They are supposed to examine challenges and opportunities that may arise in the future, but what concern me are priorities. The Government has a habit of producing reports, launching consultations and establishing assemblies while the everyday problems facing ordinary, hard-working people are left unresolved. The public are entitled to ask where the same urgency is when it comes to housing. Where is the same urgency when it comes to healthcare? Where is the same urgency when it comes to protecting our communities and supporting family farms, fishing communities and small businesses? If this Bill proceeds, it must be done properly. Any discussion about the future of this island must involve everyone.”
“I agree with the Bill and I thank Sinn Féin for putting it forward. However, when people come to my clinics in Cork, they are not talking to me about Green Papers, citizens' assemblies or constitutional reports. They are talking about trying to get a roof over their heads. They are talking about waiting months and years for healthcare. They are talking about crime in their communities, the cost of running a family car and the pressure that ordinary working people and small businesses are under every single day. That is the reality of life for people right across Ireland. Independent Ireland fully supports the Good Friday Agreement and the principle of consent. That principle has helped delivered peace on this island and any future constitutional change can only ever happen with the consent of the people North and South.”
“I knew quite a lot of people who applied for the Goleen post office but who pulled out when they realised what was involved in the running of it and that the money they were going to make was little or nothing.”
“If we do not feed post offices in the way they need to be fed, then the rural post office is going to go. Yes, it is very welcome the Government is giving this funding. It is appreciated. I know that when I talk to my local postmistresses, Wendy Briscoe, in Schull, or Bridie Reichert, in Ballydehob, they will appreciate it. However, they tell me they are fighting for survival. It is not easy. When the Goleen post office was closing, I heard politicians saying to people that they would love living in Goleen, down by the coast in the most beautiful part of the world. They were codding people because people have to work six days a week. They cannot really afford to take somebody on because if they do, their profits are cut in half, or close to it. That hits a person.”
“Sadly, they have been starved in terms of moving from what they were doing to moving to new services they could deliver. They provide an incredible service in most towns and villages. Sadly, in the nearest parish to where I live, we lost the Goleen post office a couple of years ago and the Durris post office closed last year. The Crosshaven post office closed last May. It is on the edge of my constituency, at the eastern end. It is very unfair and those communities have been hit very hard by the loss of the post office. I spoke to a former postmaster in a community that lost its post office. He said An Post failed to fund or put any kind of decent money into the business. The computers being used were 15 or 20 years old. If you squeeze the life out of something, it will die. If you do not put a drop of water on a plant, it will not live.”
“We in Independent Ireland will always welcome any extra funding to post offices. It is hugely important. Since I came into the Dail, I have spoken on numerous occasions about the safeguarding of local post offices. As welcome as the funding is, however, the serious question is whether it will stop the closure of post offices and make them a viable option. The only way to make something viable is to make sure extra services are provided. When I came into this House first, we talked about maybe being able to tax your car in the post office. There were so many other things. The post office could become something like the credit union in a town, by providing banking services and all that sort of business. They are doing that in other countries. Maybe passports could be done through the post office.”
“Emma O'Shea is one of these patients, who do not have the luxury of time and who deserve to know that the full weight of Government is behind getting this treatment over the line.”
“I am speaking today on behalf of families living with Friedrich's ataxia who are running out of time while waiting for access to Skyclarys, the only approved treatment for this cruel disease. For these patients, every week that passes means more mobility loss, more independence gone and more heartbreak for families watching their loved ones deteriorate. This disease does not wait for meetings, reports or lengthy negotiations. These families need action, not more promises. Will the Minister, Deputy Chambers, now engage directly with the Minister for Health and the HSE to ensure the reimbursement process is prioritised, negotiations with the manufacturers are brought to a conclusion without further delay and every flexibility available to the Government is utilised to expedite the decision?”
“With Electric Ireland raising electricity bills by 8% last week and Pinergy raising them by more than 80%, and more than 300,000 people in this country unable to pay their electricity bills, surely it is time for the Government to take action and have a proper debate in the Dáil as to how we can control these energy companies. They are out of control.”
“It was a six-bed dormer bungalow. Now, people cannot even get a project off the ground for that money. The paperwork has to be finished. There are all these reports. Somebody is making a hell of a lot of money out of this. At the same, when people come into my constituency office - I presume it is the same for the Minister of State - and I look at it, it is a ruin. It is falling down. Would the Government not be delighted to encourage these guys to build and start a new life for themselves?”
“There is a vacant home grant, and it is very welcome. A lot of people have availed of it and I could not fault it, but there is a bit of a concern that money sometimes does not get out to the people fast enough. That is beside the point, though. It is building up in rural areas. One planning matter that the Minister of State needs to look into is where people find a ruin. They think that this great - a ruin in a rural community falling asunder - and this is going to be built. The first thing they will be asked for is to have a conservation repairs document prepared. Then there will be a bat report, an invasive alien plant species report and a nature impact statement report. It is €20,000 before they put a block in the ground. I recall how, when I was growing up, I built a house at home. It cost me £22,000.”
“There is only one way to do so, and that is to put legislation in to make sure that things like that do not happen. People will say to me that they have a right to object, but there is a proper way to do it and an improper way to do it. It is often pointed out to me how a local person could not get planning but somebody with a lot of money ended up with a house down the road. That is hard for me to explain because I am not on the inside when it comes to planning, but we have to ask questions about how that happened. I am not saying that it happens very often, but it does happen. It is frustrating for the people who have lived all their lives there and are refused when someone they do not know does get planning permission. That happens quite a lot. It is an area of frustration that the Government needs to look into further.”
“When was there a social house built? People have every right to live on their islands. It is the same as those who cannot afford a house being entitled to get social housing. Why cannot the people of those islands at least included in a social housing programme the same as every other community? The living life has been squeezed out of islands. As public representatives, we meet the islanders. They want their young people. They want their schools to survive. Their schools are closing down because people cannot get a home. They have to go back down to the mainland. There is a rush or race to send people away from rural areas. Planning permission can be very frustrating. Deputy Ward talked about, for example, a person from Donegal objecting to something in west Cork. That is outrageous and has to stop.”
“They need an inside timber bridge, metal bridge or something to save lives, yet nothing happens year after year and promise after promise. Lorries keep striking the wall there and people are within inches of losing their lives, but nobody is accountable and nobody cares. Obviously, something has to happen, then everybody will start running and shouting. We are talking about speeding up plans in relation to Gaeltacht areas. We have to look at the islands. I represent eight islands. I talk about Cape Clear, Sherkin Island, Long Island, Dursey Island, Bere Island, Whiddy Island and Heir Island. When was the last time a house was built on any of those islands? The Minister of State will not be able to answer because I will tell him: there has been none. They cannot even get planning there, never mind being able to afford to build.”
“The N71 from Rosscarbery to Owenahinch is so dangerous that it is impassable. Regarding the road in Ballydehob, I am continuously raising concerns that might save lives. If there were passing bays, it would bring people into our community in west Cork. We have every right to fight for our constituents. That is why we were put into Dáil Éireann. I spoke to young Micheál Croke, who is above in the Gallery. He talked to me about the concerns at Cross Barry regarding a footpath there. I stay out in Bray when I am here in Dublin. I saw that a lovely, safe, concrete footpath was built in one its areas, but a beautiful wooden one was also put in just to add to the area. It is lovely. Down in Cross Barry, there is an incredible amount of danger in walking the bridge there, given the number of lorries and other traffic.”
“The construction company of a man who is dead now built the wastewater treatment plant there. That town has been thriving fairly well since and able to build houses since. It does not seem to be happening in the rest of the country. Look at the Shannonvales, the Dunmanways, the Rosscarberys, the Ballydehobs and the Goleens. What is happening? For Shannonvale, there is now a promise that something is going to happen. In Dunmanway, a TD told the Dáil six or 12 months ago that 50 houses were going to be built. Now, I have heard that there are only going to be 15 houses. Imagine, 15 houses for the next 20 or 30 years. That is a disaster for a growing town like Dunmanway. We are not moving with the times. We are way behind. The more rural you are located in this country, the worse things get.”
“Everybody else comes in here saying the same thing. There is no accountability. The Government seems to be forking out money without accountability. That needs to change. I ask the Minister of State to stand up to Uisce Éireann. A lot of TDs came in here and showed a lot of concern about Uisce Éireann, and it came across the road and met us, but it has not met us since. It has not followed up on the queries that we had. That was just fake, a bit of box-ticking to get rid of us again for another couple of years. All Uisce Éireann needs to do is ask for another billion or million euro. It does not matter. It just ticks a box and it will get it. We need to make changes in here so that there is accountability and we can go back and say that there is somebody willing to pay this out. It happened in my own community down in Durrus.”
“That is not the way it should be. The local authorities need to have a stronger say. We have to look at issues like housing, roads and transport. Money is being spent on infrastructure. It is hugely important. Uisce Éireann has become unaccountable. One cannot talk to it. When I send correspondence to it, it is like I am talking to old Jack the dog at home, but the dog would waggle the tail at least. Uisce Éireann is unaccountable. Imagine, it is getting billions of euro from the State and does not have to account for it to anybody. I know people who are willing to invest in infrastructure to build local communities. I spent months looking for a meeting with Uisce Éireann - the local person is willing to put the money into building infrastructure that Uisce Éireann should be doing but cannot do - but cannot get one. It is not just me.”
“They put a village nucleus into areas where there was public transport, a local church and a local shop. You build around that area. They withdraw that in the next county development. That was a negative move to make because it was killing rural Ireland. There are communities out there losing their post offices, little creameries and churches because communities are dying. They are losing GAA clubs, which is a very serious concern, and their soccer clubs. We need to put the focus back on how we build small rural communities. That is how we do it. If there is a local school bus service or local rural transport service passing these doors, that is how you build around a community and that community grows. That is an area that the Department needs to look at and have a very serious focus on. County development plans are from the top down.”
“The bridge appears to have been constructed with taxpayers’ money without planning permission. I would appreciate if the Minister of State could clarify that issue in the days ahead. In this Bill, we have to look at the current situation. We are talking about county development plans lasting longer, but my concern is that mistakes are being made. The mistake in the county development plan is that the local representatives are being squeezed. I know it from my time from 2014 to 2016 on the local authority. We had a hell of a lot to say in relation to county development plans. Now, I find that my councillors have very little say. It is from the top down. We need to change that. There was a village nucleus. We want to look after the survivors of rural Ireland. Urban areas are hugely to Independent Ireland, too.”
“We support cutting red tape and removing needless obstacles, but we will also need to insist on protections for local democracy, ensuring that rural communities are not left behind, and the maintenance of safeguards. Communities have concerns. There is one thing we have to be careful of. I met a group from Wexford last week. Its members want clarity. The Minister of State might be able to give it to me today or at a future date. Precisely what grant of planning permission exists for new railways overbridge at Park-Carcur just outside Wexford? I have been told that the CEO of Iarnród Éireann and the Minister for Transport claim that this bridge is covered by a planning application from a third-party developer, but it seems that that is not the case.”