Marie Louise O'Donnell (Independent)
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I thank the witnesses for being here and informing us so brilliantly about what is happening. Without them it seems to be ignored here. Mr. Boland saw rural banking as the core of a development process. Will he speak about that and what he means? Have the mainstream banks walked away, as it were? I hope An Post might create some kind of banking structure within the post office.

Will Mr. O'Meara or Dr. Meredith outline the demographic of people aged over 65? What do the witnesses mean by leadership and having no representation? Do they mean political or creative leadership? Where does their research money come from and why do they feel it is being undermined? They are right to say they need more money or facilities for research. Where will they find that?

What Forum Connemara has done is outstanding. It is like Government policy at work. I am from Mayo but spend most of my time here so I do not get the chance to go to Connemara except during the summer. The witnesses said they want better educational facilities which place strong emphasis on music. I have a problem with the Department of Education and Skills giving 25 points to mathematics and not to music. That locks into a thousand things about a fully rounded personality, education, bringing people back and giving them a reason to stay at home. I compliment the forum on that and on encouraging the universities to do scientific research on the Wild Atlantic Way and the seaboards, and to diversify. That is a brilliant suggestion. It is like the idea of taking the Museum of Country Life out of Dublin. People wondered how that could be done but it is now one of the most sought after places on the Castlebar Road. It is involved not just in economics and furniture making but also in the creative arts. I compliment it on that and on the hub idea. That is fantastic.

Why does the forum want to become independent in respect of the running, creativity and imaginative ideas? I could nearly answer this question myself but I would like the witnesses to say specifically why they want to keep county councils away from it and away from administering social schemes?

That is not to undermine county councils. Can the witnesses talk to us about that? This is at the core of what we should be writing up in this report. It is a question of the independence of each area and of the people there knowing what is best and how best to get it. They are three diverse questions. The witnesses can come back on those points.