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

Tá mé cinnte go dtacódh an Seanadóir Ó Clochartaigh liom dá scríobhfadh an coiste chuig an Aire ag moladh go mbeadh Comhar na nOileán ag breathnú amach do na hoileáin Árann agus d'Inis Bó Finne faoin gclár Leader. Ní dhéanfadh sé aon athrú substaintiúil don rud atá gruaite ag FORUM ach réiteodh sé fadhb ollmhór atá in iarthar na tíre.

A fleeting comment made here underlined a point that was key to all of my thinking when I was involved on the ground as a co-operative manager, namely, that it is often possible to create a family income from two or three sources. The idea behind the rural social scheme was exactly the same. When I was around 20 years of age, my father-in-law explained to me how a scheme had been introduced by the Government to create work by opening bog roads and all sorts of things to supplement farm incomes. It was the first big breakthrough for them and it stayed in my mind. This is what inspired the rural social scheme. The means-testing rules introduced for the rural social scheme work against couples. Married couples only get €20 more than the means-tested amount they would get through farm assist. This is hugely regressive. Why should anybody work 19 hours per week for €20?

My final point highlights the challenges for islanders. There are two islanders here today. To get here in the morning, they had to leave the island last night. That was one overnight stay. We have kept them here so long today that I doubt whether Mr. Murray will reach Inishbofin before the last boat or whether Ms Uí Mhaoláin will even make it to the boat at Ros a' Mhíl. They will both, therefore, have a second overnight stay. It must be recognised that if we want populations on the islands, we need to realise just how successful they are in overcoming incredible barriers of distance that are not so much physical in nature but which relate to services and that we cannot spare the effort to compensate for that. I live in a very rural area but I can leave here at 10 p.m. and still get home. I have often do so. I have left here at 11 p.m. and gone home to Corr na Móna. It is three hours hard driving but I can do it and arrive at 2 a.m. or 3 a.m. If someone does not get off the mainland in the winter time at 5.30 p.m., that is it. They are there until the next day. I would like to nail it on the record. It really highlights the challenges islanders face when I say that it takes two overnight stays to attend one Oireachtas committee.