Thomas Byrne (Meath East, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I agree with many of the comments of my colleague, Deputy Lahart, about inappropriate apartment development. It is happening everywhere else. The focus of my contribution today will be the Irish Independentheadline that referred to the commuter belt buckling as new homebuyers are forced further out. The article refers to the great pressure that will be on schools and public transport in the commuter belt. I wish to let Fine Gael and the Deputies in the constituencies know that we are already under major pressure with schools and public transport in particular and with general amenities too.

My constituency colleague, the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection, Deputy Regina Doherty, showed utter detachment from reality today when she was interviewed on Newstalk. She said Fine Gael had learned the lessons of the past and that the facilities were being put in place in conjunction with new housing. She instanced a playground in Ratoath and an extension to a second level school in Ratoath as well. That is her home town. Ratoath will not be the focus of most of the housebuilding in County Meath in the coming years. Moreover, the extension to the secondary school in Ratoath is long overdue. The playground, welcome as it is, is not the answer to all the problems with regard to our facilities.

The Minister seems to have completely forgotten the town of Ashbourne, where a major public park has almost completely fallen off the agenda. Fine Gael seems to have completely forgotten the scenario in Ashbourne with regard to schools. We had to bring five principals into the Department to plead the case for a primary school. It opened in September with 100 pupils, many of whom were going to school in other parts of the country. Some were going to school in Wicklow, Drogheda and the south side of Dublin instead of going to their local school. I raised the matter in the Dáil many times and eventually the Department took cognisance of it. The Minister does not seem to be aware of the pressure on school places in Dunshaughlin and the rural area between Dunshaughlin and Kilcock.

There is simply no planning for the housing coming to these areas. There is a vast amount of housing in Dunshaughlin. School planning is not what it is, especially at second level. Fine Gael does not seem to be aware of the problems in east Meath and Drogheda relating to school places. Fine Gael seems to be quite happy with many of my constituents being stuck in traffic on the N2 at Primatestown simply because of a lack of action. There is a grossly inferior bus service. What really took the biscuit was that the Minster promised a review of the Navan rail line. The Navan rail line was cancelled by the Fine Gael Government and is not really part of the national development plan. It is incumbent on the party to speak the truth. It is also incumbent on the party to know what is actually happening on the ground, to know the problems and to try to plan for the future, but Fine Gael has failed to do that.

We fully recognise that people will want to live in County Meath and that there is a major housing crisis in County Meath. It is caused simply by the lack of supply in Meath and by the lack of supply in Dublin as people move out from Dublin, something they have done for many years. We need a Government in touch with reality. We need Deputies in the Dáil who are in touch with the problems of their constituencies.

We saw in the by-elections my colleague to my left and my namesake, Deputy Malcolm Byrne, elected in Wexford. He has been pushing through me the issue of second-level places, particularly in Gorey. I refer to other colleagues. Deputy Darragh O'Brien mentioned second-level places and primary places in his constituency. Senator Lorraine Clifford-Lee has done so as well. Kildare has another considerable issue. I refer to special schools in Wicklow. Deputy Casey, beside me, is nodding his head as well. He has problems there. Yet Fine Gael Ministers will go out and say that they have all this in hand. They do not, and the public knows that they do not. In the new year, at some point, when the Brexit issue is sorted - I acknowledge the comments in that regard from one of my colleagues - there will be a general election. At that point, it will not be Dáil Éireann that will have a vote of confidence in the Government.

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