Ned O'Sullivan (Fianna Fail)

I ask the Leader to refer two matters to the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government. The first concerns salary and expense remuneration for county and town councillors who are members of regional water boards, of which there are many — I had the privilege of being chairman of the Shannon basin water board in its first year. It is extraordinary that whereas the officials who attend these board meetings are fully covered for expenses, in many cases the elected members are not. An anomaly has arisen whereby some county managers reimburse councillors for their out-of-pocket expenses. As these are important boards, I ask the Leader to pursue the matter with the Minister, who gave me a favourable response as late as yesterday.

The second matter I want referred to the Minister concerns the proposal to establish a liquified natural gas, LNG, terminal at Ballylongford on the Shannon estuary in north Kerry. This project, which is of great importance for the nation, will greatly enhance our energy options while providing badly needed employment in north Kerry and west Limerick, particularly in towns such as Listowel, Abbeyfeale and Newcastle West.