Brendan Daly (Fianna Fail)

Scarcely a day goes by when we do not hear calls for more technology and increased availability of broadband. We hear complaints about the absence of broadband in certain areas on a daily basis. Millions of people in Ireland and throughout Europe take part in lotteries through modern technology every week. At a time when we are looking for more technology and more students studying mathematics at higher level, certain people argue that it is not possible to implement electronic voting. Why can we not implement electronic voting? It is ridiculous to advance such arguments when we are trying to advance technology and education.

An Taisce has made life very difficult for many people, particularly people living in the Burren in north Clare. The only conservation effort in respect of the Burren I have witnessed from An Taisce has been a plaque that is approximately the size of today's Supplementary Order Paper. An Taisce put up a stone plaque stating that it supported conservation near where the national park was to be located.

I do not know Fintan O'Toole but I know that the county council is dealing with his application for the development at Ballyconry. It is unnecessary for An Taisce to brand him as a criminal, if the allegations about the article in today's edition of the Irish Independent are correct, and to suggest that he is not entitled to make his application in the same way as everyone else. An Taisce is showing the same face to Mr. O'Toole that it has shown to all ordinary decent people in north Clare whom it has harassed and made miserable over the last number of years.