Michael Collins (Cork South West, Independent)
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I welcome the witnesses from the ICA, the Irish Men's Sheds Association and Macra na Feirme. They made very interesting points in their presentations. There was very little with which I could disagree but I would welcome elaboration on some points. The ICA spoke about Garda stations, post offices, banks and rural broadband. I come from a community where there is a strong ICA group on the Mizen Peninsula in west Cork. We lost our local Garda station and our two local banks so I know exactly what they are talking about in terms of loss of services. Losing the bank in the local village led to the closure of a big shop, which resulted in up to 16 jobs being lost. There was a knock-on effect within 12 months and the effect on the village is still continuing because people have to travel up to 40 miles to do their banking. There is no clear idea as to how to solve the problem in the future given that there is only a certain amount of time remaining for many post offices in rural areas because there are no great prospects for the future. The only solution I have heard up to now is a travelling post office, but that is not what we are looking for. Reference was made to all the services that could be centred in a post office.

The witnesses also spoke about looking after people in rural areas, especially the elderly. We are in a very uncaring situation at present. Each public representative is fighting daily for home help services for the elderly. Why should we be fighting for something that should be a basic right? Why should we be fighting for something that could save us money in the long term? Instead, each and every one of us is fighting tooth and nail trying to get an extra half hour in the week for a person in need. It was mentioned previously that a blind person was getting home help five days a week, which he was happy with, but it was considered that he could see for two days and week and he did not get home help on Saturdays and Sundays. One cannot regain one's sight for two days which shows there is a ridiculous mindset out there. It is an attack on people, especially in the context of rural isolation.

The Irish Men's Sheds Association has done excellent work in tackling rural isolation.

We should throw in women's issues with that as well, as some women experience rural isolation also. It should be Irish men's and women's sheds and they would have a great time together. We should not worry as they would be fine. Funding must be difficult. I was in Castletownbere recently where a new one has opened. It is fabulous and to the west of Castletownbere. What it has done for that community is second to none. Is funding a difficulty?

I am worried that there are many people leaving communities and the Irish Countrywomen's Association, ICA, must be like the GAA in that every day it must find it difficult to find a team or an ICA group. How does it find that issue? Are groups amalgamating, as I believe that is happening in my own area? It must be a major difficulty. I have two children who are members of Macra na Feirme, so I do not know if that is a conflict of interest. There are valid points relating to travel. If a person lives in rural Ireland, we do not have facilities like the Luas or buses going to and fro outside the door. One would be lucky to get one bus to Cork each day from where I live. That would be approximately 70 or 80 miles away. The charges applied to young people on those buses are unbelievable. I get quite a lot of feedback in that respect, as young people want to use the bus but cannot afford it. That is wrong. I believe the group has some sort of scheme that alleviates some of the costs.

I do not really want to get started on two of the issues mentioned by the delegations, which are high-speed broadband and car insurance. We are getting nowhere with them up here. It is astonishing the way the car insurance matter in particular has been allowed to go on and how our young people are being treated. It affects people more in rural communities, where we do not have the facilities of others in urban areas, although I do not begrudge those in such areas. The best of luck to them. We have people being charged €3,000 or €4,000 for insurance but young people cannot afford that. They are trying to do a little bit of work, go to college and everything else; they are trying to progress through life. There seems to be a mindset here to ensure that does not happen. I would like to work with these groups and others, and I know a Macra group that started again recently, which is great. These issues need to be highlighted and we need to move them up along the chain so the Government can start to understand that rural areas need the likes of high-speed broadband and we cannot wait until 2020 or 2021. That will not happen. There will be a service for the bigger towns, which already have a broadband service, which is ridiculous, as the rural communities need broadband. We have a mobile phone service that is in tatters throughout the country. That issue hits the rural peninsulas in particular.

It is difficult out there for people who want to live in their rural communities and young people who want to survive. We heard this morning of the possibility that those under 25 will not be allowed in the new rural social scheme, which would be a major issue. The new scheme could see 500 extra jobs being put in place but somebody in a Department now thinks if a person is under 25, he or she would not be deemed as a low-income farmer or fisherman. That is another way to get people out the door and push them into urban areas. There is a plan out there. We have young people trying to get planning permission and they cannot get it on their own land. They are being chased off their own lands.

I come from the community voluntary sector and I am proud of that. I am still involved with 25 community groups and am proud of that in particular but it is difficult out there. I see the difficulties and the groups before us face an uphill battle. As politicians, we must support them.