Paul Connaughton Snr (Galway East, Fine Gael)

The motion is extremely timely, as it returns the focus to value for money and rip-off Ireland. We thought that because of the exposure generated by Eddie Hobbs a few years ago, we would not hear about rip-offs anymore. However, small and medium-sized businesses always have been and always will be the backbone of employment in the country.

I do not have time to go into many issues but energy costs are very important for every businessperson. This was an unusual year for the pricing of petrol and diesel. When the price of oil on the world's commodity markets peaked at $147 a barrel in July, the price of petrol and diesel at the pumps increased significantly and, generally, people bought it, with some feeling they were lucky to get it, which was the conditioning at the time. However, in recent months the price of oil reduced gradually to only $40 a barrel in recent days, yet the price at the pumps did not decrease proportionately. Someone made a great deal of money in the interim and that raises a question.

A €23 million sewerage scheme will commence in Tuam, County Galway, over the next month or two. The local people also want broadband and natural gas and one would expect that all the cabling, pipes and so on would be laid during one big dig. However, the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government can only pay for the pipes for the sewerage scheme while the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources does not have the money for a broadband scheme, nor does Bord Gáis for the gas spur. Nobody is in charge of the shop, although the sewerage scheme will be completed in a year or two. The streets will probably then be dug up the year after and, with a bit of luck, they will be dug up a third time. If this is joined-up thinking I do not know who is in charge of the shop.

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