Noel Coonan (Tipperary North, Fine Gael)

I wish the Minister of State well in this Department. I welcome what has been announced for the Silvermines area, but the local people are disappointed that this is only a patching exercise. I understand that less than €2 million is being spent on a part of the site. There are six sites in total. The Minister mentioned two. The other four are Shallee, Gorteenadiha, Ballygowan and Magcobar. Will the Minister of State reaffirm the Government's commitment to the rehabilitation of the Silvermines Mogul sites and confirm that the necessary resources will be made available in the coming years? Will the Minister of State outline the funding which will be made available in 2009 and 2010 and the works which will be carried out?

The people of this area have been waiting for 26 years for this development. Before last year's election, a commitment of €10.6 million was made for the rehabilitation of Silvermines. There is a huge difference between €2 million and €10.6 million.

See this speech in context