Michael Collins (Cork South-West, Independent Ireland Party)

I thank the Minister very much. It is a very important scheme. It is a great scheme for anyone who qualifies. The problem, as I have said, is that 4,000 applications remain outstanding and have not qualified. For all the funds that have gone into it, they are not half enough of what needs to go into it. I have spoken to Deputy Danny Healy-Rae on this issue several times. It is a big issue in his area. It is also a big issue in west Cork. The problem is that the moneys coming into west Cork are not enough to go anywhere near what needs to be done. I know of people who have been waiting for seven or eight years. A politician said to me one time that it is not a form that should be filled out because people get very annoyed and frustrated at having to wait seven or eight years to get funding for the roadway to be done. When people fill in the form they expect that it could be done within a year or two, a reasonable amount of time. While the system is successful when people get it, they can be a long time waiting. Some people who fill in the form pass away before they even get to see the roadway being done.

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