Ms Sorcha de Brúch:

We have been working very closely with Sherkin Island Development Society, SIDS, to arrive at a solution in respect of school transport. The Department has put up funding for an additional sailing in the morning but I understand there remains an issue in the afternoon. There was a recent meeting involving Senator Lombard, the Department of Education and Skills and SIDS to try to come to a resolution. I take the point entirely that it is a very important issue. We are working very closely with the different community groups to try to improve the services and to keep them running as they are lifeline services.

The point about the umbrella organisation is well made. There is Comhar na nOileán and Comharchumann na nOileán and the Department has met both in the past couple of weeks, along with the Minister of State. We will attend meetings with them on a regular basis throughout the year to make sure we are aware of the issues that arise on the islands and can intervene as early as possible to offer solutions. The inter-agency group in Cork, involving the county council, the HSE, the Department and all the players, functions very well. It fosters healthy debate and meets on a quarterly basis when representatives come from all the islands to air their issues. It is a model that we are trying to roll out in other counties that have islands. It helps us to get in there early and come up with solutions.

We are also looking to develop a cross-cutting islands policy so that we can be an advocate for the island. We are not responsible for things such as housing but we can advocate for the island communities and it is my role to do that. I am glad to hear the members appreciate the work that is being done with the ferries. The numbers on Sherkin Island, and some of the others, have gone up substantially in recent years and it is great to see this added life on the islands.