Richard O'Donoghue (Limerick County, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I, too, welcome the developments in the North and wish Michelle O'Neill and all the parties concerned the best of luck. In a situation such as that in the North in recent times, where things were being run off old policies and there was no real direction, it causes suffering to people because there are no proper services in place. I refer to what has happened to businesses there, with various contracts being pulled due to a lack of funding. Even from looking at auctions and so on, where things were meant to be in the pipeline but funding was pulled and there were different developments, one can see that people who were employed in that context have been suffering. Machinery and different things were being sold off because of the lack of a government. I hope the parties in the North will now have a democratic debate and look after the vulnerable people who need to be looked after. There should be a proper democratic debate in respect of all sectors. The parties there should come to a position where they actually look forward to representing all the people of the North, no matter their religious background or the country from which they come. They should all be looked after in a proper manner. The parties need to get the system back on track, show leadership and demonstrate that they can work together for the betterment of the country. They need to take care of vulnerable people. The various people in their posts should show they can give direction and provide accountability to look after the people going forward.

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