Trevor Ó Clochartaigh (Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

No funds whatsoever. It is very stark. It is my opinion that what has gone on here is absolutely disgraceful and certainly needs to be addressed. We need to see local actors re-empowered to take control of developments in their own areas and their own communities. We need to trust them and give them the wherewithal and the permission to do that.

The other issue I mentioned, and Mr. McGuinness mentioned it himself, is around that clause on lobbying that had to be taken out. I find that quite a lot of people who depend on funding from State agencies or Departments are practically gagged from speaking out against anything because their funding may be cut or they may be threatened with some form of action if they even criticise. It is very detrimental, in the modern republic which we are told we have, that people cannot engage in a critical manner and speak out openly about problems that they see. In many cases these are the people at the coalface, who realise what the issues really are and could help resolve them and make sure that the money is spent in a better way. I get the sense that must have been frustrating for Mr. McGuinness as well and that the only way he could speak out was by extricating himself from that position.