Michael Healy-Rae (Kerry, Independent)
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I ask the Chairman to leave me finish on a happy note. I ask, on two bended knees, our guests to do the necessary work. It is not impossible. We are not asking the officials to climb Mount Everest. All we are asking is that they start to go through the backlog in a workmanlike way. I call on them to roll up their sleeves and tear at the job of work that needs doing. Do not mind talking about ships. If the Department were a ship, it would have sunk further than the Titanic. The politicians, farmers and representative organisations have all lost confidence in the Department. I am disgusted to say that because I was brought up to respect officials. I was brought up to respect people whether they are in a local authority or a Department. What the officials have done to themselves is to lose the respect of the public and of the people of Ireland. By God, they are going to have to roll up their sleeves if they are going to gain back that respect.

I am sorry for being cross but I am cross on behalf of an awful lot of people who are cross today because of the inaction of Department officials and people in the Department who are not capable of doing the job that they are being highly paid to do.