Michael Healy-Rae (Kerry South, Independent)

I compliment the previous speakers. Before I came to the Chamber I listened to the contributions on my office monitor and many valuable points were made by other speakers in this debate. I thank the Technical Group for allowing me the facility of using some of their time to speak on this very important Bill.

It would be remiss of any of us when talking about the dissolution of a board such as this not to acknowledge and thank the members of the board who have served over the years since its establishment in January 2006. We must thank politicians on all sides of the House who worked to ensure the board was set up to distribute these funds and to raise the whole concept of using the money because the funny thing about money is that it is worth nothing unless it is put to use. Having money lying in dormant bank accounts year after year was sinful when it could be put to good use and I compliment the uses to which it has been put. Many projects, some of which have been referred to this evening, have benefited greatly from this unused money.

Not too many people have come rushing to claim back their money, even though the facility is there and will be kept. If anybody comes along and says it is his or her money, he or she will get it.

We are not dealing with a bottomless pit and it will eventually come to an end but now more than ever, we must ensure the money is put to good use. I have every confidence in the Minister and in the political system to ensure the money will be put to good use. Having said that, the situation has changed a lot. When the Dormant Accounts Board was set up in 2006, Ireland was a completely different place. We were led to believe everybody had plenty of money and the gravy train would roll on but now we must be ever more prudent, shrewd and careful in the distribution of this money. As we all know the austerity measures are hitting home in a real and hard way.

I wish to speak about where the money will go. I respect the previous speaker who made a pitch for an individual case as he had every right to do. No doubt he was making a very valid case for a place about which I know a lot because I used to go through it every Friday and Sunday on my way to Pallaskenry many years ago.

When it comes to the spend, we must adopt a bottom up approach, about which Deputy Ó Cuív already spoke. He stated that community groups, in particular in rural areas, are excellent at raising funds, especially if they believe they will get matching funding. If people believe the money they raise for a club or whatever will be doubled, it really gives them an incentive.

A report over the weekend stated that 68,000 jobs could possibly be lost in the community and voluntary sector because of the austerity measures and the cutbacks in funding. The type of work being done in our communities, which was not done before - for example, crèches, day care centres, before and after school clubs, tidy town committees, care of the elderly, dealing with issues of crime and rural transport - benefited from funding. Funding is drying up and the Government is introducing cutbacks which are really starting to hit home. We must be ever more vigilant in ensuring we get value for every euro spent from the dormant accounts fund.

Money may have to be spent in ways we might not like. Deputy Ó Cuív referred to capital projects - in other words, not using the money for the day-to-day running of services. If the money must be used for the day-to-day running of services which perhaps might otherwise close, it is important the Minister takes a hands on approach and says that he might not like using the money in this way but that if he does not have any other choice and if it is available to him, that is what he will do. I am sure the Government would get support from all sides of the House in taking such a decision. It is not ideal but we are not living in an ideal world. Things are not normal at present and they will not be normal for a long time. Ministers might find themselves having to do things which are not ideal.

I very much welcome today's announcement on rural transport made by the Minister of State, Deputy Kelly. It must be teased out further as there are aspects of what he proposes which are not yet clear but broadly speaking, the Government seems to be tackling an issue which I raised before Christmas with the Minister of State, Deputy Kelly. I stated that some action would have to be taken in regard to transport in rural Ireland. He responded positively at the time and the Government has acted on it in that there is now talk of a hackney service being made available in rural areas.

I am not straying off the point of this Bill but am trying to tie the two together. In the disbursement of the funds, if it was deemed necessary that some of these funds should be used for rural transport, that would not be ideal or what we might like to use the money for but, in the absence of other funding, if it would help to keep rural Ireland alive and vibrant and if it would help elderly people living in rural locations, it is something we would all very much support.

There is social deprivation in rural Ireland because of a number of issues. Elderly bachelors are staying at home and are not going out. The reason they are not going out is because of changes to drink driving laws. It has publicly been stated that it is leading to suicides. This matter has been discussed even by county coroners. In County Kerry, our coroner stated in recent times that he believes this type of social isolation is leading to elderly people committing suicide, which is unusual.

Given the austerity measures, the Government may find that some of the dormant accounts money should be used for things such as the rural transport initiative, on which I complimented the Government. It was announced today by the Minister of State, Deputy Kelly, and I welcome it. It is a move in the right direction but the Government should not be afraid to use some of the dormant accounts money for rural transport if it would help people living in rural areas.

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