Paschal Mooney (Fianna Fail)

I thank my friend and colleague, Senator Hanafin, and also Senator Brady for allowing me to participate in this debate in the time allotted. I also echo the welcome to Mr. Sean Gallagher. That was the first time I was made aware of this very serious difficulty, as illustrated by the story told by Senator Brady. I am delighted that Mr. Gallagher is here, along with representatives of the CIF.

I particularly want to acknowledge Senator Quinn coming up to the plate once again. I hope he will be as successful if he decides to introduce a summer time termination Bill into the House, as he will be with this one, which is another example of his expertise.

My main reason in contributing is that the story outlined by Senator Brady is similar to one that was brought to my attention. Currently, the motorway system, as Senator Hanafin has said, has been completed. However, subcontractors have suffered grievously vis-À-vis some main contracts. I will not name the motorway in deference to the people involved, but in one particular instance over the last couple of months the main contractor was being paid the money after 30 days but was holding it for 50 days before paying subcontractors. In the recent past, I understand, the subcontractors have renegotiated this time interval down to 40 days with the main contractor, but this still leaves a major gap, and as a result they have had to lay people off. I do not believe that is acceptable and I am glad this Bill is going to address that issue.

Although I know the Minister of State has repeatedly said in his very welcome contribution that the Bill will be read a second time five months from today, I ask him not to allow the permanent Government - I have the greatest admiration for civil servants and draftsmen - to delay this, because it is already causing inordinate difficulties for people. The most extreme illustration of that is what we heard from Senator Brady.

The Minister of State quite rightly highlighted that the Government was spending €6.5 billion under the capital programme, which compares favourably with the rest of the European Union. However, I draw the Minister of State's attention to a map which appeared in The Irish Times today showing the progress of motorway completions. Once one passes Mullingar going north west there is space, nothing. It is as if it were a desert. Again, I make the plea on the basis of what Speaker Tip O'Neill once said about all politics being local. I hope there will be a revision by the NRA to include the N4 completion. My friend and colleague, Senator MacSharry, will testify there is a section of the road past the Curlew mountains, going into Sligo, that has been lying there since Famine times, without anything being done to it apart from normal routine maintenance. I shall make that plea to the Minister of State to ensure, if he has any influence with the NRA, that the north west is not forgotten. Anyone from overseas who looks at that map today would believe there is nothing but rutted tracks and cow paths up to the north west.