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

I asked a question about rural resettlement but I do not believe I got an answer. I also asked a question about social farming. I would make two points. I am always worried about the terminology of the establishment and I do not mean that in a complimentary way. The idea that people who live outside towns are in the hinterland seems to infer that we have a dependency on the great urban centres. I know it is only a term by using it, we all buy into a concept that those of us who live outside the towns do not live in real places. To me, the hinterland is the town and I believe I am living in the centre of the universe. I am sure the Minister is living in rural Ireland like myself and she would think the same about this issue. Those of us who are part of the 1.5 million living outside towns with a population of 1,500 in pure rural areas have a huge challenge to fight back collectively against the mindset that sees us as some adjunct to society but not a central part of it. It is not as if we are a tiny minority.

That brings me on to my second issue of concern. Údáras na Gaeltachta did a deal with Arramara Teoranta. There is a confidentiality clause in it as there is with respect to the Leader programme in Meath. We, the public representatives, cannot find out how much money the State got out of the deal with Arramara. It seems there are two are conflicting laws here. There is the right of the Oireachtas to information on Government income and expenditure, the details of it and whether there were good or bad deals but the new fashion everybody seems to be following, including the State which I find obnoxious, is the signing of confidentiality clauses. I believe that no state should sign a confidentiality clause except on personal details but on financial details regarding taxpayers' money, there should be no such thing as a confidentiality clause. If money was given to, written off or some arrangements were arrived at with Meath Partnership in respect of Leader funds, we should be privy to that. If the State did or did not receive money from Arramara Teoranta, we should be privy to that because it is Oireachtas Éireann's money because we, not the Government, vote all the money for expenditure and part of that is the accruals that come back in. I feel quite agitated about this. With every way we went about asking the simple question of how much the State got for the sale of a factory, we got the bum's rush. With respect to every parliamentary question, direct question and media question to Údaras na Gaeltachta, it refused, after the event, to tell us how much money it got for the sale of a factory. If it signed a confidentiality agreement, that is totally wrong. The Government should give an instruction that where State money is involved, there cannot be a confidentiality agreement around the amount of VAT money.