Thomas Byrne (Fianna Fail)

The councils are controlled, on the whole, by the Fine Gael and Labour parties. The democratic element of Údarás na Gaeltachta is being abolished by this Bill, which is a half measure for the Irish language and shows the contempt the Fine Gael Party has for the Irish language. The central plank of the Bill is to remove the democratically elected members of Údarás na Gaeltachta and have them appointed by Fine Gael and Labour councillors.