Brendan Ryan (Labour)

Cuirim fáilte roimh an Aire, cé go gcaithfidh mé a rá, cosúil leis an Seanadóir Ó Cochláin, nach bhfuil a fhios agam go díreach cad ina thaobh go bhfuil an Bille seo á chur tríd an Seanad gan aon Dáil a bheith ann chun rud ar bith a dhéanamh leis.

Is breá liom focail ar nós "integration" agus "coherence" a fheiscint, mar tá siad ar bharr an liosta maidir le riarachán poiblí a bheith eagraithe i gceart. Is annamh a dhéantar é sin, agus is annamh a tharlaíonn sé go bhfuil integration agus coherence ann. Is minic go mbíonn deighiltí ann. Níl mé ag cur aon lochta ar Aire faoi leith, ach go háirithe ar an Aire atá sa Teach tráthnóna inniu, ná ar aon Rialtas faoi leith. Ba é ceann de na deacrachtaí i gcónaí le riarachán poiblí, áfach, ná go mbíodh rudaí roinnte.

I am pleased the Minister is making an attempt to introduce some coherence in this area. However, I question whether it is logical to group the functions listed, namely, community development, voluntary activity and philanthropy, rural development and co-ordination of the national drugs strategy, etc. That said, we will take the Bill as it is.

I am intrigued whether the Minister may have been acting without a proper legislative base up to now. I do not suggest any personal impropriety but was it the case that somebody realised late on that issues arose in regard to the legislative basis for many of the Minister's functions?

I love to see references to Arramara Teoranta and seaweed. When I was a student chemical engineer, I always had visions of the country developing ways to optimise and maximise the revenue from seaweed and I pursued a few tentative research papers on this issue. Seaweed is apparently a far more lucrative product now than it was 20 years ago, as many of the materials extracted from it are regarded as high demand. I hope Údarás na Gaeltachta is seriously pursuing the maximisation of added value. We do not want a small-scale version of the export of either ore or beef on the hoof if there is a possibility of developing the product further. It is worth remembering we have the technical and other skills of a sophisticated pharmaceutical industry with a workforce that has skills and ways of looking at things that might have been unknown previously. Perhaps Údarás na Gaeltachta could contact the various academic centres involved in issues concerning extraction, processing, etc., with a view to ensuring opportunities are not being missed.

I have a slightly changed view of bodies such as the Western Development Commission. This country is so small that it should not matter whether one is in Clifden or Dublin. I am a little concerned that pursuing issues such as that of the Western Development Commission, to whose objectives I subscribe passionately, is psychologically marginalising one part of the country. For many in the United States, Galway would nearly be considered within commuting distance of Dublin. Americans do not talk in terms of miles but in terms of hours and in this regard Galway is two and a half hours from Dublin, assuming the existence of a decent road. This is commuting distance in many big countries and it is most assuredly not indicative of peripherality.

However, we are in danger of institutionalising a perception of distance in respect of a place that is no distance away at all. We are therefore talking ourselves into issues that do not exist. There should be no reason pertaining to geographical location alone why an investor should choose to invest in Dublin rather than in Galway, Cork, Sligo, Tralee or Letterkenny. The US Chamber of Commerce, in its very thoughtful submission to the Government on the national development plan, said everywhere in the country should not be any more than two hours from an international airport, either by road or rail. I do not object to the Bill at all.

In terms of coherence, integration and good governance, the idea that four Ministers would be involved in a decision to provide a subsidised bus service between Cleggan and Ballinasloe is not good. If we cannot give a member of the Cabinet discretion to make such a decision without having to consult, by law, the Minister for Education and Science, and having to obtain the permission of the Ministers for Finance and Transport, we are not proceeding in the most desirable way. This is simply a matter of extending an existing bus service. I will not start a row over this but it makes no sense for a member of the Government, with senior collective responsibility, to require the agreement of three others on something so trivial. If the Minister makes a mess of the matter, let it be made in public such that we can deal with it. For God's sake, let us get real.

Níl mé ag cur brú ar an Aire aon athrú a dhéanamh ar ainm baile ar bith taobh istigh den Ghaeltacht. Tá cead ag daoine pé ainm is maith leo a thabhairt ar áit. Is é an rud is measa ná go bhfuil daoine áirithe taréis comharthaí bóithre i gCorca Dhuibhne a lofa le aimneacha scríofa i mBéarla. Is cuma liom faoi Béarla nó Ghaeilge, ach ní dhéanann sé aon mhaitheas do dhearcadh na dturasóirí rudaí scríofa ar comharthaí bóithre, srl., a fheiscint nuair a thagann siad go ceann des na cheantair is álainne sa domhain. Mar a dúirt an Seanadóir Ó Murchú, tá sé in am dúinn bogadh ar aghaidh, agus feicimid cad a tharlóidh. Tá sé soiléir, de réir na pobalbhreitheanna a tháinig amach taréis an reifrinn i nDaingean Uí Chúis, nár dhein an cinneadh seo mórán difríochta i meon an phobail. Is beag duine a d'aithrigh a vóta i dtreo duine a bhí go láidir ar thaobh amháin nó thaobh eile den argóint seo. B'fhéidir go bhfuil sé in am dúinn ciúiniú agus ligint do mhuintir Dhaingean Uí Chúis agus Corca Dhuibhne pé airgead gur féidir leo a dhéanamh as a dtionscal turasóireachta a dhéanamh, in ionad a bheith ag cur isteach orthu le raiméis mar seo.