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

Financial prudence, of course, is very important. Putting away money for the future is very important but you also have to deal adequately with the problems we have right now. To ensure our future economy will grow, we need to make sure our present businesses will stay operating. I attended a meeting recently in Kenmare, which is representative of many other places throughout County Kerry, where people have been faced with massive rates increases. It is unsustainable and it will lead to many hairdressers, small clothes shops, grocery shops, filling stations and small distributors closing. A door that closes is very hard to open ever again.

Regarding farming, I have mentioned to the Minister already about one of the best and quickest ways to help farmers. I mean this from my heart out. I read very closely what is involved in the fodder transport scheme and I do not agree with it because is not practical. I have spoken to farm leaders both locally and nationally and there is great scepticism. It is not to be critical of the Minister because he knows I do not have that type of a way. If I could come in here and say it was a brilliant scheme, I would, but there are faults with it because it will not be quick enough and not meaningful enough to farmers. There is one thing the Minister could do tomorrow and I ask him to do it. There are farmers owed millions through schemes that are held up with red tape. All the Minister needs to do is direct his officials to pay out the money that is owed to farmers and not to be writing to them looking for this and that. I appreciate he has stopped the non-necessary farm inspections but he should pay the people what they are owed now.

As to forestry, we have a Minister of State for forestry who, to be quite honest, leaves an awful lot to be desired. I do not say that lightly. That Minister of State will go down in history as being the worst-performing Minister in that sector since 1946. I have said it before and I will keep saying it. It is a matter of fact. We are missing out on massive opportunities in Ireland. We are talking about future proofing our finances. We are neglecting drilling for minerals and oils off our coast and we have a Minister who objected to the LNG facility for the Shannon Estuary. Think about the massive boost that would have been to Ballylongford, Moyvane, all of north Kerry up into Limerick and Clare, down into south Kerry, mid Kerry and east Kerry. It would have been a massive boost. What did the Government do? It scuttled it every way it could. These are missed opportunities by this Government. I certainly do not agree with the fact that it decided it was a good idea to give €800 million to build a road above in the North. I would have rather seen the money spent on our local improvement scheme roads in our country, in the Twenty-six Counties. The simple fact is if you take the fund we have nationally it is €10 million approximately and there is the money we are getting in Kerry. The most important piece of road in the whole country is the one you have to travel wherever in the world you are going to. If those roads are bad, and these are people who are paying taxes and who want better roads, instead, the Government's answer is to give away €800 million to the North.

Young people are not willing to come home from Australia or elsewhere abroad because we are not making it easy for them to do so. We should be encouraging them properly by letting them have affordable housing, giving them planning permission on their farms and maybe giving them a driver's licence when they come back rather than have them go through hoops for one.

We need funding to assist the piers and harbours in Sneem and around the Ring of Kerry. I will make a final plea. The Minister spoke about future-proofing. Will he please give us €15 million to ensure that our bid for the World Rally Championship succeeds and it will come to Limerick, Kerry and Waterford because it would be a massive boost?

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