Martin Kenny (Sligo-Leitrim, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

As this is my first time to address the House, I congratulate the Ceann Comhairle on his election. He was the only Member who won an election today.

All Members have great expectations. Mine is that, in a short time, I would be able to hold various Ministers to account. I know there will be a caretaker arrangement for the next period. However, between now and a Government being formed, it is important the issues which face the people of my constituency and across the country are dealt with. Yesterday evening, there was a car accident outside Drumshanbo in which a young woman was injured. She waited over an hour for an ambulance to come from Carrick-on-Shannon, which is less than 15 minutes away. Dynamic deployment of our ambulance services across the whole western seaboard does not work. I want to be here to hold the Minister to account in respect of that.

It does not work in respect of that. I also wanted to come here to hold the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine to account with respect to the many farmers in my area who have a major problem in getting their entitlements, with respect to the issue of young farmers and with respect to the farmers who have been left behind in trying to get their issues resolved.

Another issue concerns St. Patrick's Hospital in Carrick-on-Shannon where the nurse-led service, which was withdrawn in recent months, has not been restored. A further issue involves many people in my area, the people who live on the Burren Road in Templeport and the people who live in the parish of Gortletteragh, who have tried to obtain a school bus service because the rules have been set in such a way that a school bus will only transport their children to the nearest school, even if it is not the school in their parish. These are the issues I face in my constituency. When I came to this House I had the expectation that I would be able to hold people to account around these issues, yet we find we have motions before us that will defer democracy until some time in the future and we do not have a date set for it. We have been told that on 22 March statements will be read in the House. That is of little use to the people who put us here. Many young newly elected Deputies to this House expect an awful lot better. We were all told before beforehand that there is a lot of pomp and ceremony around it, and we understand that, but we want to get down to business. While I understand a Government has to be formed, and we wish that this will happen as quickly as possible, we also want to ensure today and tomorrow that the issues that face the people who put us here are dealt with. It seems to me and to all of us that this is being deferred. That is not good enough.

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