Eamon Scanlon (Fianna Fail)

I welcome the increase under the national child care strategy, the training of 17,000 child carers and the increase to 8,000 special needs teachers. With regard to the agricultural fund of €6.8 billion, it should be pointed out that the Government is investing €4.7 billion of that sum. It is much needed. The IFA and farming representatives came before the Joint Committee on Agriculture and Food last week to discuss the prices being paid to farmers. Some 20 years ago, farmers were paid the same number of punts for sheep, cattle and beef as they are today in euro. Given the inflation over that period, farmers are being paid not much more than half of what they were paid 20 years ago. Subsidies have increased, which was necessary, but we must carefully monitor the operation of the fund or rural life will suffer.

We must recognise the improvements that have taken place to our roads, particularly in the past seven or eight years. I regularly use the N4, which now has a dual carriageway from Mullingar to Heuston Station. That is some change from a time when drivers had to pass through all the towns and villages and has taken 45 minutes off that part of the journey. I look forward to that road being continued with a "2 plus 1" road all the way to Sligo. The Dromad bypass project is under way at present. I am glad all of these projects are coming in ahead of target and on budget, which is to be welcomed.

The final stage of the N4 — the Castlebaldwin to Collooney project — is included in Transport 21. I want to ensure it remains a part of that plan and that the finance for it is in place. I also look forward to improvements on the N17 and on the road from Sligo to Enniskillen and Northern Ireland, the N16, on which there have been many accidents and some fatalities over recent years. It is important to keep our focus on these areas.

I was glad to read two weeks ago that new trains ordered are on the way and Mr. Kenny from Iarnród Éireann has announced the first of these will go to the Sligo line. This is welcome because the Sligo line has had the worst trains in the country for the past 20 years. Currently, the line has commuter carriages which are not suitable for three-hour journeys, particularly for elderly people travelling to and from Dublin. Hopefully, these new trains will be on our lines within the next two months.

I know it is not part of the Minister of State's remit, but the issue of social housing has cropped up frequently of late. Housing agencies, such as Respond, Clúid and Focus, are building houses that are assigned by local authorities. Several of my constituents have raised the matter of their tenancies of these houses with me, particularly those in houses built by Respond and Clúid. At the time these people were glad to get a house because their circumstances were difficult, but, as happens, their circumstances have improved. Rent for these houses is close to market value, which is fair enough. However, if these were council houses, the tenant could buy out the house when his or her circumstances improved, but that is not the case with a house built by one of the organisations I mentioned. This is an issue we must deal with sooner rather than later. I believe these people have a right to purchase, just as if they had moved into a council house. Some of these people went into these houses because the houses were available before a council house was, but now they find they cannot buy out the house. This is wrong and we must deal with the issue.

We have a good story to tell in the context of decentralisation. The Department of Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs has rented an office in Tubbercurry, Sligo, while waiting to move to Knock about seven or eight miles away. Currently there are 74 people in the office in Tubbercurry. Criticism of decentralisation is wrong because decentralisation is an excellent idea, no doubt about it.