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

I welcome the Ceann Comhairle back. It is great to have him in charge of the House again. He was very much missed when he was away for a little time. We appreciate him. With regard to this issue, it is very important to acknowledge the great work done by the water section of Kerry County Council and the service it has given over the years.

We have serious problems in Kenmare where we cannot have any development, and in many other villages, because of a lack of sewerage and water facilities in the town. We need development in such places and there are many small villages throughout the county that are in serious trouble. We have asked that the investment required for these places be fast-tracked so we can have development and allow for growth.

As to what is happening with the whole system of transition, we want to think of the great people who have dedicated their lives to serving our county of Kerry, through their work in Kerry County Council and subsequently with Irish Water, and the great service they have given. I too want to think about people such as Freddie Bartlett; Frank Sheehan, who has retired; Mattie O'Shea, from Glenbeigh, who is also retired; Maurice Fitzgerald; Rory O'Sullivan; Denis Reen; Jeremiah Murphy; and people who are gone from us. There were great people in our county, such as the great Joe Murphy from Dromtine who worked with Jackie Healy-Rae in providing water to Sneem many years ago and getting water flowing, and people like the late Jack Lyon, as well as our uncle Dan Rae, who used to be outside day and night with a digger doing water repairs and fixing breaks in pipes. These are the people who go out on Christmas Day or in the middle of the night. They work continuously and when they are finished one break, another would appear somewhere else and they would have to keep going. These are the people we have to appreciate. They are more important than any man wearing a suit, you can be sure of that. These are the people who do the work on the ground and I respect that. We have to treat them with respect when decisions are being made in the Houses of the Oireachtas.

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