Michael Healy-Rae (Kerry South, Independent) | Oireachtas source

With regard to student grants, I received a text yesterday, in the middle of May, from the mother of a student whom I had been helping. She thanked me and let me know the grant had just come through. In the middle of May a student received a grant. This is because the system was centralised.

We have a crazy situation whereby the Government and the HSE are closing down our ambulance control bases and centralising them to Townsend Street in Dublin and Ballyshannon. Our bases in Cork and Kerry are being centralised to Dublin, where people do not know the terrain or the areas. They will not have the knowledge that has been built up over the years by the people working in the ambulance base in Tralee. It is being taken from our county tomorrow and landed up in Dublin. No disrespect to the people in Dublin, but they will not have the knowledge of the areas that those working in the service locally had.

This Government is one of failure. It lacks common sense and is devoid of reality. I would much prefer to be able to stand up to praise the Government and compliment it. I give credit where credit is due, but I will point out honest deficiencies and mistakes and what is being done wrong. People are being crippled with property taxes while our roads are falling into a state of disrepair because the Department will not provide enough in maintenance grants. People are being asked to pay for better services but they receive fewer services.

I will give way to Deputy Boyd Barrett to ensure he will have time. I thank the Acting Chairman for pointing this out.

See this speech in context