Brian Stanley (Laois-Offaly, Sinn Fein)
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The swimming pool is close to the Numbers estate in Graiguecullen, in the Minister's area. Half of the Numbers estate is in Laois and half is in Carlow-Kilkenny, so I have it in the swimming pool, which is the most identifiable point in the area - not in the pool itself, I would add, but in the community rooms in the old school beside it. There is also a crèche there and the Department of Social Protection has an office.

There are actually three boundaries at this point - the county boundary, the Dail boundary and the local government boundary - and a review of the local government boundaries is under way at present. One of the problems is that a large section of Graiguecullen votes in local authority elections for candidates for Carlow Town Council, yet the road in Rossmore View was recently upgraded by Laois County Council. I had to make representations to get that done, as I had told the residents I would get it done if I was elected. It was done this year under a community involvement grant, with €60,000 spent on the work, including drainage. The people of those estates cannot vote for Laois county councillors so the Laois county councillors, understandably, will not take a huge interest in it. Unfortunately, the local councillors, who are mainly Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael, have to then represent the area and pass budgets that include these estates, yet they cannot get a vote from them and cannot even go in to canvass them. There needs to be an alignment between the boundaries of the county councils and the Dáil.