Marc MacSharry (Fianna Fail)

That was extremely shocking. If it had been a Member of the Oireachtas, regardless of party, there would have been calls for their resignation from one end of the country to the other. It is a disgrace.

It would be of great benefit to have a thorough debate on the matter. Some weeks ago I welcomed the concept of centres of excellence but there have been many developments since then in terms of the criteria for establishing them. As an aspiration, they are certainly good and Members would support them but, clearly, there are many problems. This is the single most important issue facing people today. As we have seen, Portlaoise is a major problem. I appeal to the Deputy Leader to arrange this debate as a matter of the utmost urgency. The people are the single most important concern of the Oireachtas and we are losing sight of that in the interests of the opinions of management consultants and some people's selective interpretations of international best practice.

In addition, for the second time this session I call for a debate on balanced regional development, with specific reference to the national spatial strategy.