Michael Collins (Cork South West, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I reject what the Minister said. I do not always complain. I have praised the Minister on many occasions - possibly more than I have praised most of his ministerial colleagues. When the Taoiseach launched this fund, he stated that it was set up to create jobs in rural Ireland. Those 48 projects in Cork county applied for funding in the second round in February. From what I gather, €276,000 was allocated to the whole of Cork county. The Minister can juggle figures all day long but those are the facts and they speak for themselves. The Department of Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht has a budget of €363 million, which it deserves. It receives a massive amount of money from rural regeneration funding, as does Coillte, while community and voluntary organisations in west Cork - be they in Schull, Clonakilty, Innishannon, Bandon or Dunmanway - spent €500,000 of their own money and had projects shovel ready but received they did not get funding. Those groups whose projects were not shovel ready did not receive any advice. The Minister should not throw dirt at me across the floor of the House. These are the facts and the facts speak for themselves.

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