I am delighted to bring this Bill before the House. It is important we place the islands in their proper context because they are incredibly important. They have a population of 3,000 people, who are important in themselves and have a right to their share of good services provided by the State. The islands are repositories of a great deal of traditional Irish culture. In recent weeks, we have been commemorating the 50th anniversary of the last people leaving the Blasket Islands. Times were different then and there was no technology but, had those people had electricity, two daily services to the mainland, doctors on call and helicopters, it would have been possible to maintain the community on the Blasket Islands.