Michael Collins (Cork South West, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I would just like to raise a few issues in respect of the islands. I represent eight of them in my own constituency in Cork South-West. In fairness, when the Minister of State's name is mentioned there is always a positive response. As the old saying in west Cork goes, call a spade a spade and be straight with a person. Having attended the AGMs of various groups on some of those islands, the one issue that keeps coming up is the falling population on the islands. The question is when a council house was last built on an island. Is funding being made available to islands to turn this around? Many families would not have the finances to build a house but they are not being assisted by the local authority because the local authority says that it is not getting the funding to turn it around. I mentioned the eight islands. There is Dursey Island; Bere Island, which is a strong island and could take social or council housing; Whiddy Island; Long Island; Sherkin Island; Heir Island; Garnish Island; and Cape Clear. Some of these are very active islands but their populations are falling. Every set of statistics which is made available shows that clear trend. There has not been a focus, however, on building council houses on islands. That needs to turn around if we are not going to see the demise of islands.

Another issue is the Leader funding. That is an issue on the mainland as well as on the islands, but the islands will survive too and they are looking for Leader funding. The way in which Leader funding changed was a farce. It was basically destroyed. There are similar issues on the mainland, as I have said. Committee groups are looking for Leader funding, but islands are also looking for it and are finding it difficult to access the funding, which was freely available before.

Another issue which is close to my heart, but about which the Minister of State might not be able to do much, is the famous Fastnet Rock, which is an icon around the world. The Commissioners of Irish Lights has decided that it wants to tamper with it by dimming the light on Fastnet Rock. It would take the range of the beam down from 28 nautical miles down to 17 nautical miles. I take a very dim view of that decision, as does the local community. It is our heritage and our culture. People have told me that for hundreds of years it was the last light people saw when they left Ireland. The next light was the Statue of Liberty. Any movement by the Commissioners of Irish lights towards dimming this light is a backward decision. I cannot understand it. I know it has it nicely polished and is saying that there will be no visible difference to the structure of the building itself but it has been an iconic structure. It is just a few stone's throws away from my own house in west Cork. It is the wrong decision. I know the Minister of State cannot intervene personally, but if he could it would be great. I think it is good for me to highlight this issue and the upset which people have expressed on it.