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

The future Ireland and infrastructure funds are nice, glamorous ideas but the reality is people and communities need the funding spent on infrastructure right now. I totally agree with Deputy Gould. We talk about infrastructure. Why is a future fund for infrastructure being created when we need funds now for urgent works that need to be done and have needed doing for many years, maybe decades in some cases?

Urgent works need to be carried out at Glenbeg Lough in Castletownbere. I attended a meeting with the concerned people last week worried about the water supply to Castletownbere, Eyeries and Ardgroom. There is serious concern that if there is not sufficient water capacity, it will severely hinder development and expansion of the Castletownbere area. People are being refused planning in the area, as the county development plan guides them on the water supply there.

There are dreams from Uisce Éireann of bringing water supply from so far away that a child would not dream up the idea. There is a simple solution in Glenbeg Lough, and it is a local solution. Former engineers were there and explained it, and now it requires a few people in Uisce Éireann to sit around a table and work towards that solution. If this is not sorted, building projects will be stopped and inshore fishers may not be allowed to use water. If this simple solution is not worked on quickly, Castletownbere and its surrounds cannot grow for the greater good of its economy. The people of Castletownbere deserve that. They are good, hard-working people and want proper development and proper infrastructure. I was the only TD to attend the meeting and promised I would raise this issue in the Dáil but raising it is not good enough. Other politicians will jump up and down now, once I have it raised, to say they will do something. Uisce Éireann must work towards a solution and I have written to the organisation with my brother, Councillor Danny Collins, to make sure there is a proper water supply, but the funds, again, will not be sufficient. The Government wants to throw it away and kick the can down the road.

We move on to the Shannon Vale sewage system in Clonakilty, which has been leaking for 26 years. For the past few years, Irish Water has blamed the council and the council has blamed Irish Water and the game goes on while raw sewage swims around. If this was in counties Wicklow or Dublin, I would give it about a month to be sorted. After 26 years, this is still not sorted. A recent meeting with Irish Water yielded no success. Money is needed but not spent. Why is the money that is needed not spent in Clonakilty and west Cork? Why is the political willpower from the Government not there to give the funds? They need the money. They need to do the sewage in Shannon Vale.

I know the Minister is not interested because he is looking down at his phone or whatever, but I am interested. I am concerned for the people of that area. They are not getting the funding that could be available. That is why I am running a new candidate, Daniel Sexton, in Clonakilty. He will be a new political voice for the people of Clonakilty and Shannon Vale. He will deliver and we will deliver. We will have to boot this Government out because it continuously fails to fund infrastructure where people need it to grow their communities and drink safe water. The people of Clonakilty and Shannon Vale deserve that and not to be surrounded by raw sewage spitting out. It is not good enough. I raise this issue because Uisce Éireann is not fit for purpose. It refuses to reply, to sit down with communities or to give solutions that are needed.

That money is needed and I cannot understand why we are talking about throwing money down the road. Crossbarry is slightly outside my constituency. I have been asked by people there about the bridge there. It is highly dangerous for any young or old person to walk across the bridge. I look at a beautiful place called County Wicklow. There is a bridge outside there. They put a footpath inside the bridge and outside the bridge, but the people of Crossbarry will get no bridge, leaving young children to walk out on the main road and be struck by a car. It is outrageous. The funds are not there. That is why I am running new councillor John Collins to take on the issues there that have not been dealt with.

On fodder for the farmers, the Government gave a fodder package yesterday and it is greatly welcomed. I am the first to commend anyone who helps but fodder needs to be brought in from abroad because there is not sufficient fodder in the country. It is a crisis and there are farmers with serious mental health issues. We need to look at putting money into places like that and we need to look at businesses. The 9% to 13.5% VAT increase the Government put up has ruined many cafés and businesses. The Government needs to look at that and not be looking at putting away money when it needs to spend it.

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