Éamon Ó Cuív (Galway West, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

If the Minister of State would sit down with the managers of the development companies, they would tell her the situation is simple. Last year, they had €527,000 to run the companies. This year, it has been cut by €97,000 somewhere between the Minister of State transferring money from the Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government to the Department of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht. I have checked this out, and it has been verified by both Departments. There has been a 24% cut in the amount of money to run the companies on Clare Island, Inishturk and Inishbofin and to the five islands in County Cork that receive the services from the Department of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht. The Minister of State expects them to run the same service for 24% less, having been affected by a cut of 9.5% in 2013. It is unfair and unsustainable, and if the Ministers care about the islands, they will put back the €100,000 between them.

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