Results 28,081-28,100 of 28,255 for speaker:Éamon Ó Cuív

Seanad: CLÁR Programme: Statements. (7 Apr 2004)

Éamon Ó Cuív: I am talking about February.

Seanad: CLÁR Programme: Statements. (7 Apr 2004)

Éamon Ó Cuív: Instead of saying——

Seanad: CLÁR Programme: Statements. (7 Apr 2004)

Éamon Ó Cuív: I will deal with that. Senator Burke stated: The record of Deputy Ó Cuív's efforts under the CLÁR programme in County Galway shows that he has provided, for example, footpaths to the doorways of individual supporters. He has provided roads and boreens to the homes of certain supporters. This is not hearsay — it is a matter of fact. That is what the Senator said.

Seanad: CLÁR Programme: Statements. (7 Apr 2004)

Éamon Ó Cuív: If the Senator had been here earlier he would have heard my explanation. The way in which the money is divided for roads under the CLÁR programme is quite simple. For county roads, the money is divided according to the population in the CLÁR area in each county. However, because some counties — Tipperary south, Limerick and Meath — have a very small population, we give those...

Seanad: CLÁR Programme: Statements. (7 Apr 2004)

Éamon Ó Cuív: The Senator can check that the money has been provided exactly according to population ratios. The allegation that Galway received a disproportionate amount of funding for roads is unfounded. The second allegation is that I had some say in the picking of individual roads. As I explained earlier today, the allocation is sent to each county council. After being notified of a block allocation,...

Seanad: CLÁR Programme: Statements. (7 Apr 2004)

Éamon Ó Cuív: I presume the Senator chooses the roads in Galway.

Seanad: CLÁR Programme: Statements. (7 Apr 2004)

Éamon Ó Cuív: Unfortunately, when I was a councillor there was no CLÁR programme.

Seanad: CLÁR Programme: Statements. (7 Apr 2004)

Éamon Ó Cuív: The roads are selected by the council and sent to the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government, which checks to see whether the roads comply with the specifications that have been laid down on its advice.

Seanad: CLÁR Programme: Statements. (7 Apr 2004)

Éamon Ó Cuív: I do not see what roads have been chosen until the list comes back to the Department.

Seanad: CLÁR Programme: Statements. (7 Apr 2004)

Éamon Ó Cuív: I suppose it seems so to the Senator. We give a block allocation to County Galway. Galway County Council chooses the roads that are to receive the funding. I presume the councillors have a say in this — I hope they have.

Seanad: CLÁR Programme: Statements. (7 Apr 2004)

Éamon Ó Cuív: The councillors pick the roads.

Seanad: CLÁR Programme: Statements. (7 Apr 2004)

Éamon Ó Cuív: Somebody in the council picks the roads. If councillors do not make sure their own officials are involved, that is their problem, not mine. The roads are picked by somebody in the council, be it officials or councillors. The list comes back to my Department and, without reference to me, it is automatically sent to the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government for its...

Seanad: CLÁR Programme: Statements. (7 Apr 2004)

Éamon Ó Cuív: I cannot understand how anybody could talk about slush funds and building roads to supporters' houses when the process is carried out in such an open, clear and transparent manner. There is one curiosity about all this. A number of years ago I attended a committee meeting of the other House at which Senator Burke's colleague, Deputy McGinley, was present. Not only did he praise me for...

Seanad: CLÁR Programme: Statements. (7 Apr 2004)

Éamon Ó Cuív: That is why the Senator is so annoyed. It hurts him that this scheme has been so successful on the ground.

Seanad: CLÁR Programme: Statements. (7 Apr 2004)

Éamon Ó Cuív: In the Senator's constituency. Each of these areas was picked by objective criteria. I can show the Senator all the maps and the details. When the revision took place there was not one DED added west of the Corrib. There were quite a number of DEDs east of the Corrib because the figures stood up that way. I did not do the first analysis, but when we got the 2002 results and examined the...

Seanad: CLÁR Programme: Statements. (7 Apr 2004)

Éamon Ó Cuív: If that is wrong, then the Senator is right and I stand accused and guilty. As long as I am in politics, however, I will try to do the things that people in my area need, request and tell me to focus on. I will do it fairly and objectively but I will do it and if I am subject to criticism for that, I will accept it. I do not want to take up too much time but I wish to correct the record....

Seanad: CLÁR Programme: Statements. (7 Apr 2004)

Éamon Ó Cuív: I have always treated all my colleagues on both sides of the House fairly. During the debate on dormant accounts however, Senator Ulick Burke, not for the first time, started throwing around allegations about me like snuff at a wake.

Seanad: CLÁR Programme: Statements. (7 Apr 2004)

Éamon Ó Cuív: They are not.

Seanad: CLÁR Programme: Statements. (7 Apr 2004)

Éamon Ó Cuív: However, I will give the Senator this much——

Seanad: CLÁR Programme: Statements. (7 Apr 2004)

Éamon Ó Cuív: ——when I received a letter headed "Abbey affordable housing — dormant accounts", addressed to me as Minister for Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs, who has the ultimate responsibility for the plan and also for the dormant accounts——