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

Two weeks ago, I raised with the Taoiseach in the Dáil the crisis that the residents and landowners of Dursey Ireland are facing with the closure for seven months of the world famous Dursey cable car for repairs. Since this announcement two weeks ago, I have raised the urgency of getting the Department of Rural and Community Development involved with the council and locals to find a temporary solution to aid residents and animal owners. Cork County Council failed to get any response from the Department to date, after trying to communicate with it. This proves to me what I always said, that rural affairs and islands would be thrown under the bus when this Government relegated it to the Department of Social Protection. We need to debate the crisis that people in Castletownbere face without the cable car to Dursey Island. There has been no electricity on the island since Friday morning.

Can we have a debate this week in the Dáil to look at urgent solutions to this?

See this speech in context