Jonathan O'Brien (Cork North Central, Sinn Fein)

I thank Fianna Fáil for tabling this motion because it allows us to have a debate on rural life. While it may seem strange to the Minister of State, Deputy Kathleen Lynch, that one who lives in the heart of Cork city wishes to speak on rural affairs, she will know my constituency is 55% rural. We get to hear at first hand some of the issues and problems that towns and villages throughout the constituency are experiencing. Rural people have the same right to a decent standard of living and services as those of us who live in the city. Sometimes we take those services for granted. Rural dwellers should have the same right of access to services.

I could point out the irony of the points made by Fianna Fáil in the motion. The majority of the measures it condemns, if not all, were proposed policies of Fianna Fáil. Far be it from me to criticise Fianna Fáil for tabling such a motion. Some would say it is very opportunistic of it to table such a motion on measures it proposed itself, such as septic tank charges and rural school transport charges, but that is not to say the points contained in the motion are any less valid. They are valid regardless of who tabled the motion.

Successive Governments, led by all the establishment parties, have presided over the economic and demographic decline in rural areas. I refer to bad policy and incorrect decisions being made at the incorrect time, such as the failure to be a strong advocate for Irish farmers, fishermen and rural communities as a whole. What has occurred did not happen by accident. It has occurred over a period. It is unfair to say it has happened since March because that is not the case.

This has been happening for the last 15 or 20 years thanks to the policies of successive Governments.

There is no doubt that the closure of Garda stations will have an impact on rural communities. If an impact analysis was conducted on the effects of closing Garda stations in rural communities the results were not made available to Opposition Members. When the Garda Commissioner appeared before the Joint Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality, we did not get a comprehensive answer in terms of the criteria used to make decisions on closing stations. We also need clarity on who is responsible for these decisions. The Minister has stated that the Garda Commissioner drew up the list but the latter indicated that he was only making recommendations and the Minister took the final decision. We need to see transparency on this issue. Garda stations are not just deterrents to crime in rural areas. They are part and parcel of the fabric of rural Ireland and for that reason their closure is a retrograde step.

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