John Paul Phelan (Fine Gael)

I agree with Senator Brian Hayes on the points he raised concerning the dismissal of a number of proceedings during the past couple of weeks in Wicklow in respect of speeding fines. It would be appropriate, given the number of anomalies in the speed limit system, if the Minister for Transport were to come into the House to discuss the fiasco that has emerged during the past ten days or so.

I agree also with Senator Brian Hayes in respect of the local policing committees. The Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform has been forthright in his views, as usual, regarding the Garda representative associations and the implementation of the Garda reserve. I support the Garda reserve but on the issue of policing committees the Minister has been found wanting. These committees should be set up as soon as possible.

I wish to bring to the attention of the Deputy Leader and the House, the plight of the group from a gaelscoil in Limerick whose members are outside the gates of Leinster House today. While we all welcome the weekend announcement by the Government of additional funding for third and fourth level education, it is disgraceful in this day and age that this school and others do not have adequate school buildings, despite advances in that area.

The Deputy Leader may have more success in contacting his party leader, the Tánaiste, regarding the workers in the former Comerama plant in Castlecomer, County Kilkenny. In December 2002, at a meeting I attended along with all other Oireachtas Members from Carlow-Kilkenny, including those from Fianna Fáil, the Tánaiste gave a commitment that the workers would be covered by the new redundancy payments legislation which was going through the House at that time. The workers and their families took a particular course of action which saw the closing down of that factory before the end of 2002 because they were given a commitment by the Tánaiste. That commitment has been reneged upon and those people are down almost €1 million in redundancy payments.

That is a very significant sum for any group. It is certainly significant in the town of Castlecomer which has had much unemployment in recent years since the closure of the coalmines and many other local businesses. I have raised this matter at every opportunity when various other Bills were going through the House. I resent the attitude of the Tánaiste. By her remarks and her failure to honour her commitment she is calling me a liar. I know what I heard at that meeting as do the other Oireachtas Members who were present. I wish the Tánaiste would honour the commitment she gave to the workers on that occasion.