Pat Buckley (Cork East, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister of State for his honesty and his in-depth answer. It seems to be a bit endemic in certain areas that some people are, unfortunately, not doing their jobs and others are trying harder. Going back to the issue of funding, the Minister of State mentioned that Cork County Council may have problems with funding. It comes from the central Government funding too. There has to be a bit of cohesion. It is not just the weir or river. It also has economic, tourism and sports impacts. There was the regatta there just a couple of weeks ago. A total of 212 races were held on that river. One can imagine the social impact it has and the positive mental health impact. It is a win-win.

I am very pleased with the in-depth answer because we are sometimes not told everything and I was not aware that somebody on the other side might not be pushing the boat - pardon the pun - far enough. I thank the Minister of State for that answer. I will raise it with Cork County Council as soon as I get out of the Chamber this evening. I will certainly tell the Minister of State, if he does not mind, and keep him updated. I appreciate his honesty.

See this speech in context