Michael Healy-Rae (Kerry, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I am very glad to support Deputy Michael Collins, who is the main man behind the motion. It is a very important motion in that it is like standing up and saying, "Stop. Look at what is happening. Who is saying this is right and who is saying this is wrong". I support the very good arguments that have been made by each member of our group. This is a critical time in that we are seeing what I would call a grab to take away people's say and to make rural areas smaller and more disenfranchised. During a different debate, I spoke about the abolition of town councils. The same arrogance we are seeing now was displayed at that time. Those councils were done away with by what I would call the type of gerrymandering similar to what is currently proposed. This is the situation in Cork.

Deputy Grealish spoke about Galway. He could be referring to Kerry or any other place. We are here only because the people want us to be. I cannot praise county councillors enough. I have stated repeatedly that I do not care about their politics - whether they are independent or members of Fianna Fáil, Fine Gael, Sinn Féin, Labour or any other party - because, in my honest and humble opinion, they do an invaluable job. County councillors do not get half enough recognition for the good, sound, solid and sensible work they do seven days a week on behalf of the people they are proud and glad to be elected to represent.

Services for people living in rural areas in particular are being continuously downgraded. If autonomy is taken away from those living in rural areas and if those areas are subsumed into larger ones, it means that their level of representation is much less.

Deputy Grealish referred to funding local authorities. Funding has been taken away from our local authorities over the years. I compliment the Minister of State, Deputy Ring, on reinstating such funding. The programme for Government promised the reintroduction of funding for local improvement scheme, LIS, roads. Between 2011 and 2017, that stream of funding ceased completely.

At the same time, millions of euro were pumped into roads and infrastructure around Dublin. This comes back to what I have said since the first day I came to the House, namely, that there are people in Dublin and in government who think there is no world beyond the Red Cow roundabout. They think everything stops within that boundary. I have news for them. Whether in Goleen in west Cork or south, north or east Kerry, we have people who we want to represent. There are people who have issues regarding their local areas and we want to stand up for them and fight for more funding.

Things are being proposed that would not be for the betterment of people living in the localities, townlands and hinterlands affected by what is mentioned in the motion. That is why Deputy Michael Collins was right to insist on bringing the motion before the House. It is right to debate this matter and to hear about all of the issues involved. Ultimately, we are standing up for people in terms of the issues that affect them. We want people to have proper, fair and strong representation, whether in Dáil Éireann or local authorities which, as I said, could never be commended enough.

I thank the management, directors of services and people with shovels working for the local authorities today. They deserve our support. We represent the people and fight to ensure that whether one is living in a remote area or in a large town there is fair and equal representation for everybody. We will always stand up for people locally or nationally.

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