David Cullinane (Sinn Fein)

I am making a point, which I am entitled to do. Senator Hayden referred to political patronage, giving as an example the stretch of the N11 which was not renovated as against the completion of the outer ring road in Waterford. The majority of funding for the latter came from the disposal of assets by Waterford City Council in conjunction with an additional investment by the council. The project was driven by the city manager and the council, not by any Minister, and the greater part of its funding came from local funds rather than central government. If we are talking about political patronage, we might consider the judges appointed by the Labour Party on account of their political connections. In addition, we had the disgraceful decision, to which the Leader has indicated his agreement, that the VEC headquarters be based in Wexford rather than Waterford.