Éamon Ó Cuív (Galway West, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I have a few specific questions. Deputy Kerrane raised issues relating to regional development funding and the regional assemblies. I have asked who was given the money the last time and received pages and pages of replies but they were all private companies. I have nothing against that because we need to stimulate business in the area but there was nothing for infrastructure or that kind of thing. It was all private companies. Is there a role for the regional assemblies in the distribution of that money for infrastructure? I am not talking about an advisory role. There is a lot of misunderstanding there.

The Community Call is operated by The Wheel and Irish Rural Link. I am absolutely fascinated by why the Department would not operate it. It seems obvious that that brings in two layers when it should be one. How was that done? There are many areas in rural Ireland where The Wheel is unknown, and certainly Irish Rural Link is not that well known either. It might be a little bit better known but not that well known. How did they operate, on behalf of the Department, to get down into all the communities that do not have connections with these bodies?

The fund for community and voluntary, charity and social enterprises was a great idea because all these facilities and organisations had overheads and did not have their normal income. The witnesses said 600 of them were funded but how many applications were received? What percentage of these organisations were left with nothing? It is fine to have bidding competitions but something as basic as meeting overheads does not solve the problem for the large number of organisations that bid for this, spent time making applications and got nothing. I have always taken the view that it is better to divide less on more than more on less. I would be interested to know how many applications the Department got for that fund. We can then figure out how many cases applied and did not get funded.

Tá cúpla ceist agam maidir leis na hoileáin. Caithfidh mé moladh a thabhairt don Roinn as ucht an bád farantóireachta a choinneáil ag imeacht i gcaitheamh an ama. Bhí sé sin thar a bheith tábhachtach agus bhí sí ag fóirdheonú báid a bhí ag imeacht cuid den am gan duine ar bith orthu. Bhí sé fíorthábhachtach go mbeadh an ceangal sin ann leis an mórthír agus molaim an Roinn as é sin a dhéanamh. Faoi láthair, tá bád amháin ag dul as Inis Oírr, Inis Meáin agus Inis Mór go Gaillimh, isteach go Ros an Mhíl. Tugadh ceist dom maidir leis sin. Má tá éileamh ann ag deireadh na seachtaine seo agus an tseachtain seo chugainn, an gcuirfear bád breise ar fáil? Tá cuid de na hoileánaigh ag rá liomsa go mbeidh go leor acu ag dul go Gaillimh ag siopadóireacht go luath i mbliana chun na sluaite a sheachaint agus tá imní orthu go dtiocfaidh siad síos agus nach mbeidh spás ar bith ar an mbád. B’fhéidir go bhfreagróidh Sorcha de Brúch an cheist sin. Go ginearálta, rinne an Roinn éacht maidir leis na báid fharantóireachta agus níor mhaith liom é sin a bhaint uaithi.

Tá dhá cheist ann maidir le tithíocht agus an polasaí mór. Tá leisce ar go leor de na húdaráis áitiúla tithe aonair nó scéimeanna tithíochta a thógáil ar na hoileáin. Cuireann siad daoine ar na hoileáin ar liostaí ar an mórthír nuair nach bhfuil sé sin mar chéad rogha na daoine sin. Má tá oileánaigh ag iarraidh bogadh go dtí an mórthír, cinnte dearfa ba chóir go mbeadh siad in ann, ach tugtar é sin mar mhalairt ar a gcéad rogha, sé sin, teach ar an oileán. Níl sé sin sláintiúil do na hoileáin. An dara rud ná, mura ndéantar scrúdú géar ar na pleananna contae do na hoileáin, ní bheidh daoine gur féidir leo a gcuid tithe féin a thógáil in ann cead pleanála a fháil. Tá siad in acmhainn iad a thógáil ach níl siad in ann cead pleanála a fháil. Tá sé fíorthábhachtach go ndéantar socruithe sa phlean mór atá á réiteach ag an Roinn le go mbeidh deis ag daoine cead pleanála a fháil ar na hoileáin.

Baineann mo cheist dheireanach leis na hoileáin agus uisce. I ndáiríre, tá an fhadhb is mó ar na hOileáin Árann, áit ina bhfuil leath den dhaonra. Mar is eol do na finnéithe go maith, agus chuala mé go raibh siad in Inis Oírr ó thráth go chéile, is sna hOileáin Árann, áit a bhfuil clochach, is mó atá an fhadhb. Ceanglaíodh Oileán Ghabhla leis an mórthír trí phíopa uisce. An raibh caint ar bith ar phlé a dhéanamh le hUisce Éireann, Bord Soláthair an Leictreachais agus an dream atá ag cur an snáithín optaic ar fáil maidir leis seo? D’fhéadfaí píopa uisce, snáithín optaic, agus líne eile leictreachais a chur ann, mar má thosaíonn na hoileáin ag giniúint leictreachais beifear ag iarraidh an leictreachas a thógáil amach uathu. An raibh aon phlé ag an Roinn faoi na háisíneachtaí ar fad a tharraingt le chéile agus breathnú ar an bhféidearthacht uisce, leictreachas agus snáithín optaic a thabhairt isteach go dtí na hOileáin Árann ag an am céanna? Bhí gineadóirí ar na hoileáin i bhfad siar agus ansin fríothadh amach go raibh sé i bhfad níos eacnamaíche an leictreachas a thabhairt isteach ón mórthír.

Níl mé ag baint ar chor ar bith ón rud a dúirt an Seanadóir Garvey maidir le huisce báistí. Fada ó shin nuair a chuaigh mise go hInis Meáin bhí umar uisce i chuile gharraí le huisce a thabhairt do na beithígh agus ólann beithígh i bhfad níos mó uisce ná mar a ólann daoine. Dhéanfadh sé sin difríocht ollmhór. Tá siad i bhfad níos áisiúla mar go bhfuil siad san áit atá na beithígh.