Jerry Cowley (Mayo, Independent)

On the issue of why people do not return census of population forms, perhaps the Minister of State would give consideration to the fact that people do not think it worthwhile to return them. On the basis of the census, the National Development Plan 2000-2006 was drawn up, on which there is an underspend of €3.7 billion. This includes an underspend of €500 million on our roads. When people filled in their census of population form, they would have expected by the time of the second census that the roads, infrastructure and broadband would be in place and that they would have everything they need to make our area competitive in order that people could continue to live there, including their families. We are into the second census of population where there is now——

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