Mattie McGrath (Tipperary South, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I compliment Deputy Ó Cuív, a former Minister, on this motion. The first time I engaged with Leader partnerships was during the time of the former Minister of State, Liam Hyland. They have come a long way. I mention the work Deputy Ó Cuív did when he was Minister. The Government needs to listen to the people unlike what is happening now when they are being totally ignored. One would have thought it might have changed after 23 May when it was sent a salutary message but it is still not listening.

I compliment all the volunteers, the board members and the staff and management of the independent Leader non-profit organisations in Tipperary. The one with which I worked closely was South Tipperary Leadership partnership and I compliment Niall Morrissey and Martin Quinn, the chairperson.

The Minister, Deputy Hogan, should have some respect for county councils. Like everything else, the Government wants to privatise and punish the electorate. I have been saying for three years that the Government is trying to punish the electorate for keeping Fine Gael and Labour Party out of Government for 14 years. The people gave them their answer last week but what did the Government do? It issued a diktat in Monday's newspaper attacking all the elected councils. It cut travel expenses, training courses and so on. It was a punishment. The sooner this Minister leaves us to go to Brussels, the better. He will not stand and face the people. I hope the Minister of State, Deputy Tom Hayes, and Deputy Áine Collins will face the people because they are waiting for them. They can shake their heads until they fall off but what is happening is downright wrong. It is blackguarding and bullying ordinary people and community projects. As the Minister of State, Deputy Tom Hayes, knows, there are hundreds of projects throughout County Tipperary but the Government is trying to close down the companies. It is a smash and grab raid by the Minister, Deputy Hogan, to get the money for his friendly county managers.

The document enabling the Local Government Reform Act 2014 was entitled Putting People First. What could be further from the truth when the Government allowed the closure of all the town councils and borough councils, including the town council in the Minister of State's town of Cashel? It locked them up and locked the people out of them. Is that putting people first?

The Government has continued tonight by attacking the Leader companies. The Minister of State, Deputy Hayes, should represent the people who elected him.

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