Éamon Ó Cuív (Galway West, Fianna Fail)

On the other issues raised, I thank the Senators for their support for the Bill. Arramara Teoranta was a State body. It amazes me why, when set up as a multipurpose development agency, Údarás — or Gaeltarra Éireann before it — was not automatically given the shares and told to get on with the job.

In Arramara Teoranta we had a 1950s industry being run in a 1950s style for processing seaweed in the most basic way and providing a basic meal. The factory really reminds one of the 1950s, even given the money spent on it in the past two years.

I am pleased with what the Senators had to say. By transferring to Údarás, which has a good record of developing industries given its entire involvement in marine and other areas, it would have the wherewithal within its structures to aggressively look at the possibilities of fully exploiting seaweed on the west coast. As Senator Ryan stated, there are now unlimited possibilities due to the nature of the demand for specialist products, and particularly organic products. I hope it would open a window.

I used often cite one example. There was a good saw mill, Cong Sawmills, near my home in the 1950s. It belonged to the forestry authorities and then Coillte, which kept upgrading it to levels which were 20 years behind the times. On the other hand, I was involved in setting up a small saw mill that was only a little embryonic project when we started it, with one small debarking machine. Of course, at one stage it came to critical mass and we arranged with Connaght Gold and a private individual to take it over. It now provides 200 jobs and Cong Sawmills is closed. On the one hand, I was afraid that what happened Cong Sawmills would happen in the case of seaweed. On the other hand, I saw the other possibility. I still see that possibility and I believe Údarás is the correct vehicle. I hope that the opportunity will be grasped.

On the debate on the issue of An Daingean-Dingle, it is Dingle in English and An Daingean in Irish. An Daingean is what the local people say. That was the only reason that An Seabhac and his colleagues chose An Daingean — it is what the Gaeltacht people use.

I am flexible on the issue. I want to put three points on record. First, I offered in October 2005 that if Kerry County Council asked me to revisit whether it be An Daingean and Daingean Uí Chúis, I would ask the placenames commission to do so and I would favourably look on that request, as I did recently in the case of Dún versus Dún Bleisce.

Second, on the issue of rescinding the order, any time this was offered I was given a firm thumbs down by both the people of Dingle and the county council. They did not want the order rescinded because the effect would be that there would be only one official name, that is Dingle, and there would be no official Irish name. Quite correctly, they refused that. For that good reason, that was never asked. I agree and support them in not asking, but the door was open. I said that if they wanted to ask for that it would be churlish of me to refuse.

Regarding the one request they made, I understand there is no legal basis to provide for it. Therefore, the question is whether we should change the law but there are two snags or overriding factors to doing that. The majority of the people of the Gaeltacht are proud of their Irish language placenames. Údarás na Gaeltachta, as the elected body which represents the people of the Gaeltacht, twice endorsed by an overwhelming majority, including as late as last November, that provision of the languages Act. A second point is that in regard to the order for 2,300 odd names, there was a complaint in respect of only one name. One would be reluctant to introduce a Bill to amend the Act — one would have to engage in major public consultation prior to doing so — in such a way that one would change it for the 2,300 names in favour of the request in terms of one name. That is the snag in that regard.

I continue to work to resolve the problem. I have worked with colleagues in that respect and will continue to do so. The placename Dingle is still legally usable for every private and public purpose with the exception of the three exclusions that have been mentioned frequently. I hope we can find a solution to the problem. I have been actively working with colleagues in that regard and I will continue to do so. The tourist issue continues to arise. If there is a problem concerning tourists, further discussion should take place on that issue.

I wish to point out an interesting fact. When I was a child Inis Oírr was known as Inishere, Inis Meáin as Inishmann and so on. It is interesting that all the ferry companies, which are commercial operators, now use the Irish language names, Inis Mór, Inis Meáin and Inis Oírr and some 250,000 tourists make it to the Aran Islands every year. Therefore, there are reasons for deep reflection. It takes calmness and reflection to resolve this issue and I will continue to work with the people of Kerry to try to resolve it.