Charlie O'Connor (Dublin South West, Fianna Fail)

Without wanting to upset the GAA, this is a soccer night. I wish I could be let out to go see Ireland playing Brazil tonight, led by the Tallaght man, Robbie Keane. I was with the Minister for Arts, Sport and Tourism, Deputy Séamus Brennan, last Thursday when he took the opportunity to come to Tallaght to look at the Shamrock Rovers stadium. That will be a significant boon, not only to Tallaght but to the wider region. Many people from all over the country, including Limerick, will come to the stadium.

I have listened to colleagues mentioning issues from other constituencies. It is important that projects such as the Shamrock Rovers stadium is properly funded.

I will mention another local issue with regard to Government funding, specifically that within the remit of the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform, Deputy Brian Lenihan. A comparison is often made, sometimes unfairly, between Tallaght and Limerick. Limerick apparently has more gardaí and Garda stations as Tallaght only has one station. All of us would welcome what is happening in Limerick city and county. In the context of Government finances, there is a significant issue with regard to Garda facilities in Tallaght. There is a campaign asking whether we need a second Garda station and although the Garda authorities are not quite happy about it, we certainly need a modern Garda station. Since I first came to the Dáil almost six years ago, I have raised the matter with other colleagues. I hope we will not see the introduction of too many more Finance Bills before we can say there has been real progress on the issue. I have much support throughout my community and from my colleagues in the House on the matter.

There has been much talk about green issues and climate change, a matter we should be concerned with. I come from a generation where there were not many cars on the road and there were still a few horses, but things have changed. I live in a place that is a city in all but name and the challenges presented by climate change and energy concerns come across very strongly.

Tallaght got some unfair publicity lately when it was named as one of the country's litter blackspots. That upset all of us. I did not take the approach of putting my head in the sand and saying there was no problem. The morning after the Irish Business Against Litter survey was published I walked around Tallaght and had a look for myself. I was disappointed, although the community does not want us to be negative. I would certainly never be negative about Tallaght. If problems have been identified we should be brave enough to deal with them. In the context of that problem, there is a need for all interests in my town to note the issue, as in other towns. Other places have faced difficulties in that regard and dealt with them properly. People in those places can now argue they no longer have a problem.

There is work to be done, particularly with young people. I started school across from Leinster House on Clarendon Street, then went to Synge Street and Drimnagh Castle. In those days we did not speak about climate change or all that much about the environment, as far as I remember. I remember my school days as good times. Now I listen to my granddaughter, who is only six, as these issues are discussed in her school. That is fair enough.

Any of us can walk a line from a local school to a local shop and see litter in any of our communities. This disappoints people. The matter is about waste management and saving our climate. Although I will not try to steal the clothes of the Green Party, all of us have a role to play in this concern. We should all try to do our best in our own environs.

I am as bad as anybody in using paper in my office but I try to make a little effort. Although it is not always possible, I try to leave my car behind when possible and use the Luas instead to go to town and on to Leinster House.

See this speech in context