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

I respect that but it is important to speak on the amendments and get the feeling. The new Minister needs to understand, and perhaps he does already, the feelings of the people of rural Ireland. It is fine to look at putting in place a carbon tax but it will affect nobody else but the people of rural Ireland in particular because we are totally dependent. I heard somebody say recently, when I raised a question on education, to let them use bikes. At the end of the day, I would love to see a lot of young people on bikes but we cannot have people cycling eight or ten miles in the morning on a bike in rural communities. The public transport is not there. The Minister knows that the bus leaves Goleen for Cork city at 7.50 a.m. and that is it.

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