Mairéad Farrell (Galway West, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I thank the witnesses for coming in. Their presentation was powerful. It is good the committee facilitated them to present their case as it is a powerful case. I commend everyone on travelling and doing so. This kind of thing takes a huge amount of work to put together. It takes a lot of effort by the whole community to present to the Oireachtas. It is not an easy task so I commend them. It has become such a hot topic because of the community and the grassroots nature of the campaign. Those who are not from Galway - unfortunately for Deputy Browne, he is not from Galway, God help him; Tipp might do - should realise how many signatures the 2,500 signatures is for the size of a place like Loughrea. My colleague Louis O'Hara has contacted me often about this issue and asked me and Deputy Cullinane to raise questions and that kind of thing. He is a strong supporter of the campaign and made us aware of it. The photos were powerful to show us the tranquility and beautiful view of the lake in comparison. It is a stark contrast.

I will ask two questions. I am conscious we are tight on time so I will ask them together, because I want to give the witnesses a voice. First, I want to hear what they believe the barriers are and why there is no will? Second, being involved in this kind of campaign is stressful for everyone involved. How is that stress impacting on the lives of family members and people who want to avail of the facilities?