Michael Brennan (Progressive Democrats)

With regard to the water and sewerage investment programme, I compliment the Government on the amount of money allocated under the National Development Plan 2006-2011. Recently in the House, my party held discussions on local government planning and water services. What happened in Galway could happen in any county. Where record amounts of money are at the disposal of local authorities, one must question how those programmes are implemented and the lack of progress at local level. In many instances we see local authorities use private consultants' reports to foster developments by local developers. However, we forget about the mainstream local residents of towns and villages crying out for those services.