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

Great work is being done by voluntary groups. I want to highlight people such as the men's shed movement which is great in places such as Killorglin and other towns throughout the county that I represent. They do very well and provide a great use of people's time for a valuable purpose. I know that the Minister is very supportive of that movement.

We have problems that I want addressed. The programme for Government commits to protecting our post office network. As the Minister knows, I am disappointed that that is not happening and at the number of post offices that have closed. I am worried about the future of the network. I believe that the network is in a perilous state. If the protection of the social welfare contract is not assured for our post offices, what remains of our post offices would fall like a deck of cards. I have been continuously saying that since the first day that I came in here.

As a good local representative himself, the Minister knows the problems that we have with regard to people securing planning permission on their own land. It is not a sin for a person to want to relocate to a rural location. If a farmer is selling a site, it is not that he is selling a part of his farm but might be securing the future of his farm with the bit of money that he would get for the site. He might be able to build a slatted shed or to engage in reclaiming land that he might not be able to otherwise. He could secure the future of that family farm by selling off a site. It would bring new people into an area. We have to be more imaginative about such things.

We have to deal with the issue of serial objectors. We have them in County Kerry. The Minister has them in his county. We have them everywhere. They are people who stick their noses into other people's business for the sole purpose of being abnormal and horrible. As I said in Kerry County Council on every day that I was there, the majority of normal people go through their lives without objecting to anybody doing anything with regard to planning. I have no problem whatsoever with a person whose property is being affected or impinged upon by something higher or unwelcome in his or her locality objecting. Why in the name of God should any person have the right to object to something that has nothing to do with him or her? It does not make sense to me. Multi-million euro projects have been held up. We have them in Kerry at present. We have had them in Athenry and around the country. Serial objectors hunt much valued business out of our areas. They have hurt many young couples in particular. There are people in Kerry who seem to have a thing about hurting young couples and it breaks my heart when a young person comes in to tell me that a certain person objects to them. I know that that person will then take them to An Bord Pleanála and will do everything in the world to hold them up from starting their family and other personal matters. It is horrible. There are individuals who do that. It is not normal behaviour for an individual to have 20 objections going at the same time. That is a misuse of the planning system. I would be very grateful if a Minister in any Government, whether from Sinn Féin, Fianna Fáil or Fine Gael, introduced legislation to tackle that type of behaviour. It would be great if we could get that going.

I was disappointed with the closure of Garda stations.

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