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

I compliment Deputy Connolly on the work she has done. Deputy Naughton has also done work on this issue. I support what has been said. It is important to recognise that all the Galway Deputies are concerned.

Governance has become an issue when trying to get people involved in boards because they are afraid of the responsibilities. It is fine when there is a large professional staff, but it would be a tragedy if important services were lost because people felt that there was too much governance and not enough backup to support it. Money is useful because, if a board has money, it can buy expertise.

This is a vital service and it should be supported. We must decide that, where services are concerned, structures can never be more important than the reality on the ground. Sometimes, important services cannot fit inside structures, but that is not a justification for not having the services.

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