Pat Carey (Dublin North West, Fianna Fail)

To answer the last question first, I understand the Whips were discussing the timetable for that. I presume it is up to them and the House to decide when that debate will take place. I am more than happy to support that. We had an extremely good debate in the Seanad yesterday. I was listening to Raidió na Gaeltachta on the way back from Armagh today and it seemed to have kept that radio programme going for most of the morning.

I do not go along with Deputy O'Shea in regard to engagement with the public. I was not involved in the early stages of consultation on this strategy but I am aware from reading the newspapers that there was a huge amount of engagement with the community at large. There were approximately 16 public consultation events. There was widespread on-line engagement and both the acadamh na hollscoile in Galway and Fiontar in DCU were involved on a consultative basis examining how a strategy could be developed.

On the other question the Deputy addressed about the future of the strategy and the public ownership of it, there is a fairly significant degree of public ownership. One swallow does not make a summer, or even two-----

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