Michael McNamara (Clare, Independent) | Oireachtas source

Consultation is not the same thing as a power of veto, clearly. Saying we will have a Zoom call with people about something that happened and that, by the way, we are not for changing is not consultation either. A community in Inch approached me and a member of the Tánaiste’s party because they saw works being done. We asked what was happening on their behalf but got no answer. In Scarriff, where I come from, works are being done on the former Clare Lakelands Hotel, which was last used to house asylum seekers a long time ago. I have asked the question but received no answer. This morning, it was confirmed that for five weeks there has been consultation with the community in Santry about what is proposed there. Why is there consultation for some and not for others? Is it that the strong do what they can and the weak suffer what they must or is there a more palatable reason for the consultation with some communities and not others?

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