Mr. Simon Murray:

I will come in briefly on the housing question. As islanders we have a "subsidised" freight system. I use the word "subsidised" in inverted commas. One practical example is usually the best way to explain anything, so if you get batch concrete delivered on the mainland it is poured out of the lorry and away you go. You cannot do that on the islands because the lorry is too heavy to come in. Lorries do not fit on the boats anyway. Then you have to bring in your materials in bulk, so the cost per tonne of delivering that would be €13 to pier in Cleggan, to use our own example, for 804 which is a batch mix for underneath concrete for levelling the ground. That is what it costs on the mainland. Under a subsided freight system, that single tonne costs another €18 per tonne of freight to transport it from the pier, to our own pier. You can quickly see how much it costs to build on an island. That has nothing to do with the people who run the services, because they are bound by a tender process that I have made formal objections to the Department about over the years. I cannot establish who came up with that system and how they can justify it because it puts up the cost of living on the island astronomically. I remind members this is under a so-called subsidised system.

Ms Ní Ghoill mentioned being in the European Small Islands Federation, known as ESIN. Our counterparts in Scandinavia, specifically in Finland, Sweden and Denmark, view the subsidised system of transport to their islands as an extension of the road network, for want of a simple phrase. The costs of living there are much lower because they are adjusted. The subsidised system should actually be a subsidised system and should not increase, in some cases, the cost of living by 200%. That answers a question that was asked on housing in the broader context. Someone who wants housing will either do up an old house, as Ms Ní Ghoill said, or build a new one. Either way, if the cost of doing that has increased by 40%, members can imagine what the cost of building on the islands is. That is just an example of some of the stranger aspects to living on offshore islands.

From the outside looking in, mainlanders will say the islands have a subsidised freight system and think that it is a good thing. It is not because it costs us way more to live through a subsidised system. Before the subsidy was brought in, some of the private operators were bringing in stuff cheaper than is available now under the subsidised system. That needs a root and branch overhaul.

Again, this would not be a huge cost to the State. It would be an adjustment. We are not looking at billions of euro, or millions for that matter. It is just a very small adjustment which would mean people would get stuff in at a very reasonable rate. I pay VAT three times, namely, at the point of purchase, on the transport of the freight and, again, on the transport from the pier and back. That is just another example of the hidden costs. In all the conversations we are having this morning, this is a point we are trying to get across. People do not realise there are lots of hidden costs which add to the cost of living on an island. These could be easily ironed out if the will was there to do it. That would fundamentally change the way we live our lives.

Reference was made to the planning process, special areas of conservation and special protection areas. I live on Inishbofin and 98% of the island is under an SAC or an SPA, while the water around it is an SAC. I do not have an objection against that in theory but there are such things as the red lists, which are under SACs, and very soon we, the actual islanders, will be on a red list as the rarest species of the lot. We are heading that way very quickly.

All we are asking for is joined-up thinking. When thinking about the islands, people should ask the islanders, as Ms Moran said, because we have a lot of solutions. I have been at this for more than 30 years and I ask members to excuse my frustration. All we are looking for is to be listened to and to be given a little bit of help along the way. We are well-equipped to combat most of these problems, provided we are listened to. As Ms Ní Ghoill said with regard to the plan, the whole thing is pointless if a lovely plan is printed and put on a shelf and nobody listens to us again for another 20 years. All I am asking is that we have an input and are listened to.