Eugene Murphy (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

Ar dtús, bhí an tAire Stáit anseo inné agus cuirim fáilte roimhe arís inniu. I wish to thank him for all his work on another big problem we have in our part of the country. I am not going to delay this. Basically, I am passing on a request from the community of Ballymoe in County Galway. It is a village that nestles right beside the River Suck. The Minister of State has probably heard of the Suck Valley Way, in which the Government has invested quite a lot of money in conjunction with the local community. The old Garda station there is being requested by the local community. I have had some discussion with the Minister for Rural and Community Development, Deputy Humphreys, on this issue. I am aware that the Government is anxious to take action in this regard. Indeed, I compliment the OPW here as well. There is a need for this proposition. The community wants to use this building as a hub, not for one specific group but for all. Such a requirement would be acceded to.

There is quite a lot of activity in Ballymoe by community groups. While they have a fine community centre, this would be a hub for those walking in the area or for other community things that need to be looked after. It is not a matter of speaking for four minutes about it; it is a simple request. We should try to engage with the people to ensure, if at all possible, that it would be handed over to the community. I assure the Minister of State that it is a community that has succeeded with many projects in the past. They are great community workers and volunteers. I know they have been very thankful for all the support they have got from the Government in recent years. I wish to see that funding and co-operation continue. I leave it in the capable hands of the Minister of State to see what he might be able to do for us.