Mattie McGrath (Tipperary, Independent) | Oireachtas source

There are lots of colleges with courses at night time. A lot of colleges of further education have evening courses. I am making the point it is so discriminatory against rural dwellers. I will be going to a different building in this town to make sure it is stopped because it is discriminatory against people I represent and I will not stand for it.

The Minister can laugh if he likes and make little of it. Several buses pass the Minister's house and he can get a taxi in a minute. I tried to get a taxi last Sunday night at 12 midnight. The pub closing time was 11.30 p.m. The taxi driver brought me and a friend three miles. He left me there for two hours until he finished all the local runs. I had to go ten miles but in fairness, he brought me home at 2 a.m. That is the type of service we have. We do not have these services in rural Ireland. Taxis are touting for business in Dublin and are in each other's way. I brought the Minister down to Tipperary to examine other issues as well - for example, the issue of rail crossings. I raised the issue of seat belts on buses in the interest in child safety. It is all relevant but to provide €460,000 for a service like this is an insult. I am not saying it is doomed to fail; it is not. It will help a small area but the number of services are only the tip of the iceberg. I know what I am talking about; I have been a board member of Ring a Link for 20 years. I know the services we have and the money we get every year, which is roughly €1 million. We are providing day services.

We have the Marine Casualty Investigation Board. Mr. John O'Brien and Mr. John Esmonde lost their lives off Helvick Head but who is policing the waters, the pleasure craft and everything else? Their boat was turned upside down and they were killed. A proper investigation was not carried out by the Garda or by the Minister. There are no answers for the families of those two young men. There are many other areas of safety. Deputies Collins and Healy-Rae and others who are passionate about rural Ireland should not be attacked and it should not be said that we are filibustering for the sake of it. We are filibustering in regard to this legislation because it is bad. The legislation is wrong, it is discriminatory against rural dwellers and it will never be right because the Minister will not listen to anyone. The main reason for the delay is that it was recommitted. The Minister made a hames of it and a dogs dinner of the other one.