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

When will the discrimination stop for the counties that have been promised delivery of sewerage and water systems for decades? I have said this before and I will say it again. Forty years ago, the Government promised a Fianna Fáil councillor in Askeaton that they would have a sewerage system. Now look at Glin, Abbeyfeale, Oola and Dromcollogher. Two thirds of Limerick county has been starved of funding that has been promised for decades by the same Governments. I am not talking four years and two months ago when the then Minister of State, Deputy Patrick O’Donovan, promised it to my colleague, Deputy Collins. I am talking about 40 years ago. Every time, come election time, Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael fool the people of County Limerick, telling them, “We're going to do it for you this time, lads.”

It goes back to a form of madness of voting for the same people over and over and expecting a different result. That is a sign of madness. The people of Limerick have had 40 years of promises that I know about and everything in between. Every election comes around and they vote for the same people again. The only difference is that RTÉ was the only television station we had back then but there are a lot of different media outlets now. We now have social media which catches them out every time they vote against their own county every time they come up here. They are telling them one thing on our local radio and then they come up and they vote with the Government against their own communities. Yet we still have got no money for infrastructure.

Following the last general election, only for the one Minister elected from Kerry, there would have been no Minister on the west coast in Ireland. What is wrong? What is wrong with this Government is the Cabinet. It is made up of teachers, doctors, solicitors and accountants. There are no business people, no community people and no country people. The balance is wrong. It is like baking a cake. If you do not have all the ingredients, you cannot bake it. Well, the Cabinet is a sour taste in everyone’s mouth because the ingredients are wrong.

The Government brought in a quota for elections to put forward so many females for election. I agree with that but it should also bring in a quota so that the Cabinet would reflect the country in the Ministers who are appointed. They cannot all be above in Dublin or based in Cork. They have to be spread throughout the country to make sure the country is represented and not only one sector. That is why there has been nothing built in the country for years. It is because the Cabinet is wrong. That means the team is wrong. That means the hurling match with all forwards and no backs; or all backs and no forwards. You cannot bake a cake with only a few ingredients and this Government has left a sour taste and the people of Ireland and the people in Limerick need to stand up this time and send a clear message to the Government. It is time to get it out and make sure there is proper data and that the country will now be represented.

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