Marc MacSharry (Sligo-Leitrim, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

As is so often the case, all people are equal but some are more equal than others. Just because Deputies McLoughlin, Scanlon, Martin Kenny and I did not stand bearing gifts, as Santa Claus Ross did outside the Step Inn at Christmas 2015, it seems the OPW is pressing ahead and is at an advanced stage of reopening the semi-derelict building in Stepaside, and this was confirmed by the acting commissioner at the Committee of Public Accounts last week, just to placate the Minister, Deputy Ross, and to keep him on board in the Government. It seems the Ministers, Deputies Regina Doherty, English and McEntee, can go to hell despite the fact that their county has had the same population increases. The same applies to Deputies McLoughlin, Martin Kenny, Scanlon and me because nobody cares about the people of the north west. Here we are again, getting an IOU, which reminds me of "Dumb and Dumber" and the promise "That's as good as money, Sir." The Minister is telling us he has great plans, he will do this and do up the other but nothing has happened yet. Ask the GRA, ask the detective branch and ask the assistant commissioner. I do not blame any of them as they are living and working in conditions that are not fit for anybody. If this was a private sector premises it would have been closed down already but because it is in-house, people are told to keep quiet. They are told that they will be looked after in due course but the sum of McLoughlin, MacSharry, Scanlon and Martin Kenny, not to mention the three Meath Ministers, Regina Doherty, McEntee and English, does not equal that of Ross.

What does the Minister have to say to the people of Sligo? I appreciate that the Minister of State, Deputy Stanton, is not the line Minister and I mean no disrespect to him but it is a further example of the contempt shown to the people of Sligo that the senior line Minister does not have the courtesy or the manners to come here to discuss the issue. Instead, we have the Minister of State at the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform, Deputy Kevin Boxer Moran - who is a fine gentleman - coming to Sligo, promising a site within three weeks but nothing has happened. We saw the tweets from the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport, Deputy Ross, announcing the opening of Stepaside Garda station at the beginning of June. The deputy commissioner confirmed to us at the Committee of Public Accounts last week that it was under way but Sligo can wait.

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