Anne Rabbitte (Galway East, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank Deputy Fitzmaurice for sharing his time.

The level of frustration shown by this gentleman in not looking for reappointment speaks volumes. We believe in rural Ireland, as does this man. Many people believe there is a real good emphasis on rural Ireland, but unfortunately under the WDC at this time there seems to be a lack of vision and a lack of commitment by the Government. Isolation and disillusionment are words that come to mind. Regrettably, when we should be moving forward, we feel we are being left behind. When we feel we should be going further in developing rural Ireland and believing in it, we feel there is a lack of belief, vision and appetite within the Government to deliver for us. That is very disillusioning for the people living in the WDC area.

We would not have brought this to the floor of the House this evening if we did not believe in this man and if we did not believe in what the WDC stands for in driving on for western Ireland and the western seaboard. The Minister of State is from the west and understands where we are coming from. We did not want to come in here this evening and we do not want to bash. In all fairness, there is a lack of vision and commitment. I look forward to what the Minister of State has to say to re-instil confidence. I tabled a number of parliamentary questions on the matter recently. A total of €28 million has been allocated. I would like to know how much of that is spent on administration. I would like to get a breakdown of the investment by sector and by county.

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