Brian Ó Domhnaill (Fianna Fail)

We learned the heads of the Gaeltacht Bill were approved by the Government yesterday, which I welcome. Will the Leader find out when the Bill will be published? Perhaps we should have a detailed discussion on the contents of the Bill now that the drafting process has begun.

However, I raise the concerns of many people living in Gaeltacht areas about the proposals by the Government to stifle democracy by ending direct elections to the board of Údarás na Gaeltachta. It is a direct affront to democracy. The Government will argue that by not holding those elections, it will save €500,000 but why not hold them on the same day as the local government elections or a referendum? I argue one could hold the elections for approximately €15,000 to €20,000.

If the Government will not hold elections because they will cost money, then there would be no elections for councils and the Dáil, and we would end up with a dictatorship-----