Michael Fitzmaurice (Roscommon-Galway, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I welcome all the people from Galway and Roscommon and indeed different parts of the country who have travelled here tonight. It is a sad day that people must come here to fight for their rights. Listening earlier, I heard about the forum that is going on. It should just be abandoned because all it is is a charade. We need to get conclusions out of this and sort it out once and for all.

I am looking across the Chamber at the Fianna Fáil Members. Within the next six months, they will have an opportunity when the budget is being prepared to put the gun to the head. That is the way politics is done here. Fianna Fáil Members should forget about forums and labour courts and just tell the Government the budget will not go through, which would lead to an election, if it does not pass this once and for all, and by God it would start listening then. That is the only way to solve this.

Furthermore, there are people right around the country looking after Tidy Towns and there are people being sent off schemes and not having them renewed. We cannot get people to administer the schemes. I met the Minister before Christmas and she said she thinks the Government will get this resolved in the new year. The new year is coming, we are landed into summer and she is still telling me it will happen. The reality is that there are towns struggling to get people into these schemes. People over the age of 55 should be left on the schemes to ensure that the great work they are doing is kept going.

All I am saying is that the talking is over; action is what is needed. I am sure two people from Fianna Fáil, including Deputy Calleary, a good Mayo man, will go in and fight the battle and come out with a result because that is the way it works and that is the way we need to get answers.

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