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

I pay tribute to Apple, which has an incredible workforce of 6,000 - mainly in Cork. This is a big issue today. We praise the company for what it has done for the people. There are many ways this money could be spent. It is a bit like the Bible. We are spreading lots with our clothes. We should look at investment in nursing homes instead of closing them. We should reverse the decision to cut cataract surgery reimbursement for patients travelling to Northern Ireland and reduce the VAT rate for businesses. Cafes are closing all over the country and the Government has turned a blind eye and let them go. West Cork has the worst roads in the country.

We come back to the main issue I would fight for, which is infrastructure. We should put infrastructure in towns and counties. Where in the name of God have you ever seen the like of it where everybody but the Government is to blame when it comes to sewerage systems in this country? I have attended meeting after meeting Shannonvale, Dunmanway and Rosscarbery in west Cork. Shannonvale has been waiting 27 years for a new sewerage system. Raw sewage is pouring into the local waterworks. Dunmanway has been waiting 15 years while Rosscarbery has been waiting for ten or 15 years. They are all waiting. They are drinking raw sewage. Goleen has been waiting 25 years. Imagine drinking raw sewage. I was told that at a public meeting in Rosscarbery the other day. We need to move on these issues immediately and spend money correctly in the right place.

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