Danny Healy-Rae (Kerry, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I thank the witnesses for coming in. We all know the value of Local Link and the services it has provided for many years. We appreciate it very much where it has done much for elderly people in rural places. We are talking about a separate matter altogether, though, which is what has transpired since the enactment of this very draconian Bill put in place late last year, particularly its effect on rural Ireland. The Government promised some time early last year that it would introduce services to counteract these effects. A kind of pilot scheme was proposed in Kerry. There was much ado and a big hullabaloo about eight services to be provided in Kerry, with one of those services taking people from Cloghane to Brandon once per month. It was a publicity exercise to deal with a massive problem. The people out there cannot be fooled any longer.