Pa Daly
Kerry · Sinn Féin · Ireland
“I thank the Minister of State for coming in to deal with this issue when other colleagues were not available. She will be able to bring her experience of this area to this debate. I am slightly caught for time, so I will try to parse it a little bit. I wish to ask the Minister of State about the harmful content on social media platforms.”
“While we know violence against women is a crisis and femicide in Ireland is a crisis, it is overwhelmingly men who carry out these acts. These are men of all cultures, races and ethnicities. However, social media giants have a responsibility and are clearly not stepping up to the plate. They are not complying with their obligations.”
“The Digital Services Act was introduced. It was to ensure a safe, predictable and trusted online environment and to prioritise greater activity and online safety. There is the Online Safety and Media Regulation Act 2022 to protect children and the public from harmful and illegal content. There is a danger.”
“We are running over time but I will make one more point. If, as it provides in the Online Safety and Media Regulation Act, we are to protect children and adults from online conduct, how does it look as an example to younger people in particular when this content is still allowed to be there?”
“Somebody even said that they hope these comments are not going to be deleted to suit one's ideology, which they misspelt. That is the kind of narrative that is going on. They are mocking her beliefs and her. It is similar to what is being investigated by the police in Britain.”
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The complete record
Every one of 864 lines we hold for Pa Daly, in date order, each linked to its source. Free to read, in full, without an account. Page 14 of 18.
“Of course we should be pushing towards renewable energy but it is the way that the PSO levy is disproportionately put on low- and middle-income earners that is the problem. It is unfair and unlikely to accelerate decarbonisation in the households we go to where they have solid fuel at the front of their houses and are reliant on it. Regarding electricity, the additional costs on household bills should instead be placed on the larger emitters. I do not see how the Minister can possibly disagree with that. Regarding gas and home heating oil, I refer to halting the carbon tax increases and reversing the past two years of carbon taxes. The Minister believes these taxes will accelerate decarbonisation. I believe they will not with ordinary poorer people who are reliant on solid fuels.”
“In other countries, like Germany, progressive general taxation is used to reduce the cost of electricity alongside efforts to redistribute the PSO levy fairly by making the larger energy users, such as data centres, pay a fair share. That could make a real difference to ordinary people. The Minister said that the Government's approach would accelerate the decarbonisation. I do not believe that is the case. It is unlikely because, for people on low incomes, it is a double punishment. It is not a just transition.”
“During the winter in particular, I am contacted in the constituency office by people who feel that the situation is out of control. These are people who are paying their children's allowance against their rent and are forced to chose between heating, eating and paying their mortgage. The transition to renewables, which the Government is pushing, should not mean people are paying extortionate energy bills. The Government's approach, which the Minister has referred to as accelerating decarbonisation, places a disproportionate share of the burden for transition on households through the PSO levy. Rather than trying to bring the price of electricity down, the Government is continuing to push prices upwards by adding more costs.”
“As the Minister knows, households are paying a staggering €350, or 30%, more than the European average on their energy bills. During the election last November, the Government claimed it was going to cut energy costs to bring relief to households in a cost-of-living crisis. Instead, it is going to rip away supports. The Minister himself said that energy payments could not become the norm. Does he believe that Ireland's extortionate energy costs are normal? That is my first question to him.”
“They are the people who emigrated, particularly in the fifties. One of the workers in the Coventry Irish centre is a survivor herself. The centre has no funding, or very limited funding. I ask the Government to consider giving it some extra funding and supports so it can have a secure home for the people who need help or are getting counselling and other supports. The centre needs to have a permanent or semi-permanent place where it can speak to clients in a confidential manner. It needs some extra supports for a building, a capital project.”
“I want to make another point regarding supports available to survivors who are not living in this jurisdiction. I recently visited the Coventry Irish centre, which provides all the supports for survivors in the English west midlands. Unfortunately, the Government only commits to funding schemes. The centre has difficulty in that it funded its own premises, which is on Eton Square near the railway station in Coventry. The London Irish centre and the centres in Leeds and Liverpool have better premises which allow for private consultations and survivors can speak with greater privacy when this great work is being done outside the jurisdiction. The Coventry Irish centre has had to move five times in the past ten years. It helps survivors and older Irish people to whom we owe a great debt.”
“They include people like Patrick Anderson McQuoid. They had similar horrifying treatment under the watchful eye of the State. The Bethany Home was inspected by the Department also but, strangely, it has been excluded. The State is in effect washing its hands of a lot of these survivors, but their struggle will go on to be given treatment equal to the people dealt with under the other schemes. It is unfairness that has not been dealt with. The struggle of Mr. McQuoid and James Sugrue and the other boarded-out children is unbelievable because at every stage from the moment James Sugrue was put into the boarded-out home in Killarney, he was under the care of the State. When he was boarded out he received horrible treatment. His two brothers are now both deceased.”
“I think of James Sugrue from Kerry who was one of the children boarded out in some of the schemes. They have received nothing as well. I have to wonder. It is easy for the State to blame the Catholic Church and other religious bodies and institutions, but why are the boarded-out children, the people who were in Bethany Homes and Westbank Orphanage in Wicklow, which was connected to the Church of Ireland, excluded from the scheme? It is worrying that they are. It is easy to find a scapegoat in one particular church because that kind of absolves the State from the overarching responsibility it had to the children. The Bill does not offer former residents of Wicklow's Westbank Orphanage anything as they are excluded. It is a collective stain on our history and a source of deep shame that those people are being ignored.”
“The Minister will fund psychological support and chiropody services, so, as one writer put it, residents can be told about the aches and pains in their bodies and heads while their toenails are being cut, but there is nothing about the exclusion of thousands of former residents of mother and baby homes from the payment scheme. I refer the Minister to Patrick Anderson McQuoid's letter to The Irish Times last August. He was sent by the Bethany Home which was open until 1972 to a nurse mother where he was kept hungry. He was then sent by the Irish Church Missions to a family in the Six Counties who beat him until he escaped to England at the age of 16. What does the Minister's payment scheme offer to Patrick under this or any other Bill? Nothing.”
“I do not have any difficulty with most of the technical amendments, but I will make a few points about the wider issue. This is the Supports for Survivors of Residential Institutional Abuse Bill 2024 and it has the word "support" in its title, but it includes little in the way of practical support for former residents in its contents. It is more virtue signalling and promising something while delivering nothing on the part of the State. In fact, the State is washing its hands of some vulnerable citizens. The Bill contains provision for complex health needs of infirm former residents who apply for certain payments, but nothing relating to contributory pensions, end-of-life care or support for spouses.”
“The boat operators who bring visitors to land at Sceilg Mhichíl usually have a short season of about 100 days once the season opens, which this year happened on 10 May. These local people from Portmagee, Valencia and Baile an Sceilg have now lost 10% of these days in the best May weather in years. This is affecting their livelihoods and those of local businesses and is disappointing tourists from all over the world. It relates to a High Court case, but the people there are in limbo. They say there has been a lack of communication from the OPW and silence from the Government and Ministers. Will the Tánaiste break the logjam, provide clarity for the boatmen and make a decision to allow trips to return to the Skelligs before the season gets even busier?”
“The antiquated Arterial Drainage Act obliges the OPW to dredge rivers and, as heavy machinery is employed in the process, trees are torn out and structures filled with debris. It is a disaster for biodiversity. Not only that, it can also lead to flooding. I am convinced that the flooding in Listowel before Christmas was a result of the lack of flood management and related to forestry. In the past the bogs used to soak it up but now the water comes down. Does the Minister of State have any comment on those points?”
“I would like the Minister of State’s opinion on the outrageous suggestion in recent comments by the Minister of State with responsibility for forestry, Deputy Healy-Rae, that we should plant more forestry on peatland. We think this would be a disaster for Ireland’s emissions. Maybe he is rowing back and has changed his mind but there are different signals coming from different parts of Government. Will the Minister of State confirm that is not the Government’s plan to put more forestry on peatlands, as doing so would be catastrophic? We still have no marine protected areas legislation despite repeated assurances that the Bill would be published. Three years later we are still waiting and damage could be done. Our rivers are also in a precarious state.”
“Perhaps more could be done about the rhododendron in Killarney National Park. We need a seven-year plan on that. The Minister of State mentioned our built and archaeological heritage. I refer to Tralee Courthouse, which is being ignored. The plan put forward by the Courts Service, supported by the Minister for Justice, is to close the courthouse, take away court services without any plan, build a new building on the other side of town and move there. It does not make sense. ACRES needs to be fully supported, as the Minister of State said. It needs more funding and to be fully supported. The Government does not seem to be acting but in some ways it is going backwards.”
“We face a biodiversity crisis. The green of our landscape masks the loss of so many key elements of our natural environment. Our life support system is on the brink of collapse and the picture is stark. Over the past 40 or 50 years every single indicator has been on a downward trend. Natural habitats are being degraded or homogenised, forest cover is being eroded and species are becoming extinct. We, as a country, share a deep connection with nature and this is a devastating loss for Ireland. As a result of the deep connection we have with nature, however, there remains hope - hope that with the right determination and political will we can turn this ship around. We are required to act. I note a number of matters mentioned in the Minister of State's speech. I accept that a lot of work is being done.”
“We saw it in the run-up to the election when the three-card trick produced by the Government was used to confuse the people about the occupied territories Bill. The Irish Central Bank continues to invest in Israeli war bonds. Our complicity must stop.”
“Since last August, there have been reports of Israeli war planes flying through Irish airspace with bombs, munitions and weaponry going to commit those crimes in Gaza, passing through our sovereign territory. What is the Government saying or doing? The Department of Transport has apparently been investigating Ireland's de facto open door policy to genocide. A draft report was produced in March, but the Irish people, most of whom would be horrified at the prospect of complicity in genocide, remain in the dark. Why is the Government remaining silent about this? If these planes are not in our skies, let us know, publish the report. It is another long line in the Government's failure to stand up against Israel's genocide. It should be standing more in solidarity with the people of Gaza.”
“We sent candidates and singers to a manipulated rigged vote, a propaganda piece masquerading as a song contest, while the backdrop was scenes of innocent men, women and children being slaughtered on our screens. I will quote Parnell, who said: When a man takes [land] from which another man was evicted, you must shun him... by isolating him... as if he were the leper of old, you must show your detestation of the crime he has committed. Is there no line Israel will not cross? Is there no land grab, murder, killing of children, medics, aid workers or journalists that will make the people of Europe shout stop? While there has been in the last few days international scrutiny of Israel's unrestrained war crimes, it is all words and what matters is action, but the world is resoundingly silent. Our Government should be doing more.”
“This is not a time for equivocation. It is not a time for saying "on the one hand and on the other hand". We have had 19 months of genocide, land grab, breaches of human rights and breaches of other international laws in Gaza. We have had two months of a blockade of basic human life-sustaining and life-giving aid for children. Last night, we were warned that unless this aid reaches people, 14,000 babies are likely to die within 48 hours. It is collective punishment of defenceless children on a grand scale. If this does not stop you in your tracks, I do not know what will. Israel is acting with impunity as the world watches and what did Europe do?”
“Maria's son is desperately worried that September will roll around and this will remain exactly where it is. The Government must take emergency action and implement a Cara's fund, including a workforce plan to deal with this issue.”
“I am not surprised, however, because dozens of people come to my office in this regard. The issue is probably next in line to that of housing, which see people come to my office daily. Just this week, we heard from Maria, whose son has been on a waiting list for a staggering 22 months. He has many sensory issues and is often overwhelmed by sensory overload and has to leave the classroom setting. Again, Maria is a worried mother anxious about what is wrong with her child. She needs to find out what exactly it is so it can be fixed. Without this essential support, her son is forced to miss out on a proper education and time with his peers. An autism unit is due to open at the school in Ardfert next September, but without the assessment this boy will be locked out.”
“Some parents, if they can afford it and because their children have been waiting so long, fork out the €2,500 or a sum to that effect to have a private assessment, but what about the people who cannot afford or who do not have access to those kinds of funds? They are pleading with anyone who will listen for some sort of reprieve. I pay tribute to Cara Darmody and members of her campaign team, including Mr. Thomas Ryan, who is in the Gallery. We should not have circumstances in which Cara and campaigners in support of her must come from Clonmel and Ardfinnan and stand in the rain outside Leinster House. Under the 2005 Disability Act, children are entitled to an assessment of their educational health needs within six months, but only 7% of assessments were completed within the timeframe set out in the Act.”
“Any parent will say that if they discover or suspect their child has developmental difficulties, the first thing they will want to do is find out what the problem is. Second, they will want fix it. Here again, we have another crisis, which is on a long list of crises under the current Government. As Members will have heard earlier, the number of children languishing on a waiting list is now more than 15,000, and it is anticipated, according to the speaking note received from the Minister, that it will be 25,000 by the end of the year. Many parents and children are becoming increasingly desperate.”
“I do not agree that this Bill will create duplication. I think it will only improve what is there. We will press this to a vote.”
“For example, what I said about vehicle design regulations can only apply to the few products that were covered through this. A point picked up by my colleagues is that there are loopholes for manufacturers. This legislation will give an ability to evolve if new products come in, whereas the directive is more limited in relating to and being directed at a certain number of products. That is not good enough, in our opinion. The EU has the right to repair directive, which bans anti-repair practices, but there is a loophole which says that it can be justified by legitimate and objective factors. I worry that will again be weighted in favour of the manufacturers. I have already mentioned the declared price being indicative. For those reasons, respectfully, I disagree with the Minister of State's argument that the directive is enough.”
“The Minister of State said the matter was addressed in the right to repair directive but we do not think that directive goes far enough. While I note Articles 4 and 5, one other point I take issue with is what the Minister of State said about the manufacturer having to provide the indicative prices for repair on a website so consumers will have access to information. Consumers are beholden to the manufacturer and if they ever have the misfortune to have a car in a crash, for example, they have the book value but if they compare that value to the manufacturer's price or the garage price, there are big differences between them, which would inevitably be weighted against the consumer. Without meaning to repeat what I said earlier, there are a number of difficulties with or limitations in the directive.”
“I thank the Minister of State for his comments. I thank Deputies Ahern and Donnelly for their support in this matter. I have listened to what the Minister of State said. I note what he said about the Private Members' Bill creating unnecessary duplication of effort and potential discrepancies. He said these matters were best progressed at the EU level. I disagree with him. I do not think that what is included in the directive goes far enough. That is why we are bringing this legislation. Just because the EU says something, it does not mean it should be the be-all and end-all of the matter. National legislation is important and should also be there if it improves an older set of recommendations or directives from the EU.”
“The EU will have repairability scores for products, starting with smartphones, under the eco design regulation but these repair scores do not include the price of spare parts as a parameter. This legislation, on the other hand, will include spare parts on the scorecard. As the cost of living crisis rages, we must do everything that can be done to reduce the burden on households. As well as the Minister of State's mandate regarding the circular economy, I am urging him to consider the relief this legislation will bring to struggling households when he is considering its passage through the House.”
“This leaves a loophole for manufacturers and the obligation to repair applies only to those few products already covered by repairability requirements under eco design, allowing manufacturers to offer replacement over repair if this is cheaper. The right to repair directive mandates that consumers be given access to information on the price of spare parts and that those parts are provided at a reasonable price. There is a catch, however. The declared price will only be indicative and, let us be honest, is likely to be overshot by manufacturers. Furthermore, the concept of a reasonable price is not defined so the responsibility is left to member states or to case law. We have to go further than what the EU has suggested and directed.”
“For example, eco design regulations only apply to a few products covered through the product-specific regulations, leaving other products unregulated and potentially unrepairable. The EU has made certain spare parts available to end users, but these represent a minority of spare parts. The majority are only available to professional repairers who must undergo and pass a lengthy administration process before they are qualified to have those products available to them. The right to repair directive bans certain anti-repair practices, such as part pairing and software blocks, and requires manufacturers to provide repair services and information even outside the guarantee period. However, such anti-repair practices are still allowed if justified by legitimate and objective factors.”
“Due to the fact that these companies are driven by profit, products have lifespans that are far shorter than was previously the case. Companies truly do not make them like they used to, but this Bill can be used a tool to hold them to account. It can also act as an incentive to improve the durability of products as they become more attractive to consumers. I will turn now to the right to repair directive, which the Government is required to transpose into Irish law by the end of next year. The Government will claim that this is enough, but the right to repair directive is extremely limited in its scope and ambition. Product-specific regulations make it difficult to understand a consumer's right to repair different items, so we will need our own legislation and our own State-wide measures.”
“This will be essential in order for the legislation to be effective. The Bill is modelled on measures adopted in France in 2021 and Belgium in 2024. When households are making important and often expensive but essential purchases, they rarely have up to date, relevant information concerning the reliability of the products they are choosing. Consumers rarely have any data on how likely a product is to break or whether they are likely to be able to repair it. As a result, they are forced to make important decisions while relatively blindfolded. As disposable income dwindles and company profits soar, it is essential that we take steps to address this imbalance that ordinary people face. Companies are increasingly making products that will break and that will therefore need to be replaced.”
“I hope the Government will allow it a swift passage through the House. I hope the Government sees the extreme pressure that people are under and that this encourages the Government to introduce important measures to reduce costs for households in the current cost-of-living crisis. This Bill creates a repairability index for common consumer goods such as laptops, washing machines and lawnmowers. It allows consumers to understand the ease with which a product can be repaired, as well as information on the availability of spare parts and guidance on how to carry out repairs. The number of products covered can be expanded by the Minister, and there are sanctions for companies that do not comply. This means that the legislation can evolve alongside innovation and inventions in the future. Provision is also made in respect of enforcement.”
“I move: "That the Bill be now read a Second Time." The Title to the Bill states that it is: "An Act to provide that information relating to the repairability of certain products be made available and to provide for related matters." Ba mhaith liom ar dtús mo bhuíochas a ghabháil le hOifig na gComhairleoirí Dlí Parlaiminte as an obair a rinne siad ag ullmhú an Bhille seo, go mór mór d'Orla Ryan, Aoife Kavanagh agus Laura McCormack They gave us great help. These supports from the Office of Parliamentary Legal Advisors, OPLA, are essential for Opposition TDs in order that we can both hold the Government to account and work constructively with it to introduce new legislation. This Bill is not just about sustainability; it also aims to enhance consumer protection and reduce the cost of living.”
“I cannot let the opportunity of speaking about the TV footage of what is happening in Gaza and the deliberate famine being imposed on the people pass. I am reminded of the speech Parnell gave in Ennis, County Clare, when he stated that when a man takes land from which another has been evicted, "you must shun him in the street when you meet him ... isolating him from the rest of the country, as if he were a leper of old - you must show him your detestation of the crime he committed."”
“Now that they are in government and standing with the Government, supporting it on good days and bad, they are all trying to wash their hands of the issue. There are many frustrating delays, but it is not just that. Learner drivers are trapped in insurance contracts, the average cost of which is approximately €3,000 per year. There are other cost-of-living measures, including how motorists here are paying some of the highest prices for motor fuel in the EU. This morning, we learned that drivers in the South are paying 25% more than their counterparts in the North. This is in part due to punitive measures like the carbon tax, which punishes ordinary people when they have literally no alternative. How is this a just transition? With each passing day, it becomes increasingly clear that this Government is out of touch.”
“In February, we tabled a motion that contained a suite of measures to tackle the huge backlog, including matching resources - as the Minister of State said, there is currently a mismatch - expediting the recruitment of driving test instructors, the number of testers has since declined, and plugging the gaps in a number of driving test centres. Predictably, our proposals were ignored. The Government says there is a problem. It promises to fix it, but then it is business as usual. Many of the now Government-supporting TDs in the Regional Independent Group were highly critical of these delays when in opposition. They made it clear that they believed it was within the Government's gift to resolve the issues of resourcing with political will and ambition.”
“There are 83,000 people waiting for driving tests. The number is up by 10,000 since the start of the year and 20,000 over the past six months. The average waiting time is more than 27 weeks, as the Minister of State indicated, which is way over the statutory maximum of ten. In April of last year, the Fianna Fáil Minister committed to significant progress being made between October and the end of the year. He claimed we would get back to the ten-week waiting time early this year. Like many other promises made in the run-up to the election, however, that commitment was not kept. Matters have got far worse since we asked the Government to take action.”
“It is also about who gets priority. Connections to the electricity grid now are done on a first-come, first-served basis. As a result, all the new capacity is being gobbled up by data centres. It does not have to be this way. The regulator in the Netherlands has the power to prioritise new connections for Dutch Government objectives, if the Dutch Government has objectives such as housing. New housing could be first in the queue rather than last, so why have we not done this? Why have we not introduced the necessary legislative infrastructure to make a difference? Housing developments are not proceeding because booming data centre demand has monopolised the new connections. It is time for action in this regard.”
“In villages such as Ballyduff, Abbeydorney, Fenit, Glenbeigh and Castlegregory there is no wastewater infrastructure or, if there is, it is a 30- or 40-year-old Imhoff tank. Development cannot continue. People in the council, who are working hard and trying to do their best, are paralysed by the lack of direction from the Government, with no serviced sites and no affordable housing plan that they have been instructed to complete. The critical infrastructure deficits are also doing untold damage to the local economy, business activity and tourism development. Even doctors' surgeries cannot be developed because of the lack of money and a plan from the Government. Uisce Éireann wants €2 billion extra. What is happening with that? We need more grid capacity and we need it fast. However, it is not just about increasing capacity.”
“I was recently speaking to one of the housing officials in Kerry County Council who described the housing situation in the county as being "like a jungle out there". Rather than doing something about it, the plan from the Government is going to make things worse. The problems with critical infrastructure are so acute that they are preventing the delivery of new homes and are a result of bad planning, mismanagement and underinvestment by successive Governments. This is the fundamental difference with the Government's simplistic plan. It keeps repeating time after time that we just need more units when it knows the situation is way more complex. In County Kerry, development in too many areas is at a total standstill.”
“A response from Irish Rail said that though the tendering process was in its advanced stages, the NTA had yet to make a funding decision on it. People get up early in the morning and have to wait four hours without even a glass of water on the train. We received responses in February and May but the service is still not restored.”
“I have two final questions. First, the last time we debated on Oral Questions I asked the Minister to explicitly rule out public transport fare increases. Has he come to a decision on that? The second question has been rumbling on since Covid. It seems that in the transport plan, there is a policy to have a food and drinks ban on train services to the west. For people travelling, students, old age pensioners, everyone - even five or six TDs get the train up from the west - they cannot get any food or drink on those trains. The Minister will say it is a matter for Iarnród Éireann but he is Minister for Transport. We have received assurances in recent years. That the tender would be awarded in early 2024 was mentioned.”
“As has become the hallmark of this Government, another opportunity was missed because there is no national policy objective to address regional connectivity and transport specifically. People who want to get public transport up the west from, say, Kerry to Sligo and beyond have to change buses a number of times. Even students, if one bus is late, are punished and have to buy another ticket, even though they are relying on the same Bus Éireann service to continue on that journey.”
“I thank the Minister for the reply. We have seen that, where services have been provided, the increase in passenger numbers has been up to 50% on some routes. People want services to be affordable, accessible and reliable. I spoke recently to some students from UL who travel up and down to Kerry. On a Friday, the Dublin coach regularly does not turn up and they are left to get the next bus or even the bus after that. What is the Minister doing to address the situation? Is he monitoring the scourge of ghost buses, not only in Dublin but in the rest of the country as well? In the recent revision of the national planning framework, there was an opportunity to address the infrastructural deficits.”
“What efforts is the Minister making to improve the experience of commuters on public transport? The performance of public transport operators is closely monitored by the National Transport Authority, NTA. The Minister previously said on certain routes buses were late and even not turning up at too great a frequency and that the NTA was carrying out a review of the incidents that had taken place. Has that review been completed? Does he have it? There are concerns across the country about the transport system and its difficulties.”
“When we received the figures, the allocation for 2024 and 2025 was €2.6 million, but the 2024 spend was €1.7 million. When we subtract one figure from the other, we are left with €821,000, which is a decrease in funding. Will the Minister confirm there was a decrease for LIS roads? What was the thinking behind that? Another version of events has been given to the people of Kerry.”
“There are concerns among engineers in Kerry. One concern is that they had tender documents available for the bridge near Glenbeigh National School and between Ballinclare and Ballinasare on the Dingle road. Tender documents were available and all the work was done but suddenly the funding that was believed to be available was cut. I also raise the issue of local improvement schemes, LIS. As far as I can tell, their funding has been slashed for 2025. I raised the matter with the Deputy's colleague, the Minister for Rural and Community Development, Deputy Calleary, in March but am still waiting for an answer. People from all over Kerry, including Listry, Asdee, Ballyconry and Dromod, have raised the issue. It seems there was kite-flying by local Government-supporting Ministers. It seems that funding has been slashed by 52%.”
“This very busy tourist route suddenly narrows into one lane over a bridge. There have been multiple collisions on that bridge over the past few years. There are also concerns about the tightening of the road in Fossa. It seems there is good funding available in the plan but delivery on the ground is causing concern.”
“I thank the Minister for the reply. There is a danger with Government announcements and there was such an announcement on 28 March. Those announcements often include a boast about funding but when the details are checked, it does not seem that there is enough there and there is no delivery. Many people feel they are only being codded. While I recognise that some progress has been made, the reality is that progress has been too slow. The Minister mentioned the N86. It came up recently at a meeting of Kerry County Council that all that will be done for the N86 will be the provision of some extra fencing. There is money allocated for fencing on that road. There are other issues in Kerry. I am regularly contacted by constituents about Listry Bridge, which is on one of the main tourist routes in the county between Killarney and Dingle.”