Peadar Tóibín (Meath West, Sinn Fein)
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I will ask a few questions but I concur with Senator O'Donnell both on the points she made and how she made them. Mr. McGuinness is a brave man who has made a stand of conviction, which is not regularly visible in this country, unfortunately, and in these spaces. When the witness was here representing the Western Development Commission with some of the staff, I was so impressed with the model that I thought it should almost be replicated in other regions in order that it could become a template to be copied and put elsewhere, especially with regard to long-term development. One of the points mentioned by the witness's colleagues was that a great deal of effort was going into long-term investments that would not necessarily have a short-term business plan feasibility factor but over time would make a much better contribution to the environment.

Mr. McGuinness's view is that the capacity and effectiveness of the Western Development Commission was good but hampered or hamstrung by a lack of political energy behind it and departmental issues. The witness used the word "oppressed" when speaking about the effects of the Department. Is that a fair analysis of the experience?