Éamon Ó Cuív (Galway West, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

Carrying money over is better than giving it back but not much better. The ideal thing is to get the money on the ground fully, every year. Every year, we are told that money will not be carried over. I am disappointed that, once again, we are depending on a carryover mechanism. Maybe if things had been moved on earlier, the Minister could have spent more of the capital. If she had moved in June, the Minister could have spent another €11 million or €30 million on local improvement scheme roads, and at that point, one would only have wet one's tongue with the problems with those roads. The big boys on the motorways do not care about the little boys up the boreen but it does not mean the work does not have to be done. I have made my point.

My second question relates to many older halls which are owned by trustees and are not incorporated. The Minister referred to unincorporated community and voluntary organisations, which is to say, people who own community properties. It is only in the past 20 years that people have started forming these companies, limited by guarantee, and all those structures which have received charity status. Many well-used old halls are still dependent on trustees. Why are unincorporated community and voluntary organisations, which is to say parish halls around the country, left out of this energy scheme? It seems unduly restrictive.

I could branch out but I will confine myself to issues within the Estimate as the Minister has raised it so that I do not delay everything.