Shane Cassells (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

It is about the increase in costs. I will move to Mr. Croffy in that regard. Before he launches into a series of the issues that were not so good, I thank him for his words in respect of the supports during Covid. He spoke about the reform of local government. I fully agree with his synopsis of the so-called reform by the former Minister, Phil Hogan. I was Fianna Fáil spokesperson on local government in the previous Dáil. As I stated when I introduced a town council Bill, it was butchery. I served as a town and county councillor for 17 consecutive years. The changes in question took away a layer of statutory functions in towns and urban centres. We were able to create the centre in Navan to which I referred because, although the county council was bankrupt at the time, the town council was solvent. We were able to raise bank loans as a separate financial entity and finance the construction of that arts centre. I fully agree with Mr. Croffy in that regard, but I disagree with him in another respect. I acknowledge the challenges in terms of a town clerk being able to run down and hold a space. In many towns, there are standing committees for events such as that. He referred to homecomings. In Kerry, there is a full-time standing homecoming committee. God help us, we in Meath have not had the need to do so for some time. We had the plan, however. For example, when Elysha Brennan from Meath won the Rose of Tralee in 2015, we took out the plan for public space management on the Fair Green in Navan. I acknowledge the pressures on local authority staff now. They cannot bring people together in terms of insurance and crowd management because if they did so and it went wrong, they would be in here before a committee. Mr. Croffy referred to the growing dichotomy between the professional arts administrator and the keen and committed community activist. I see that in other aspects of life as well. If we do not have a professional person driving much of what happens, however, it will get lost.

How much in real terms are the pressures and increasing costs mentioned by Mr. Cavanagh adding to the diminution in the number of events that are happening across the country?