Trevor Ó Clochartaigh (Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

Ba mhaith liom tacú leis an méid a dúirt mo chomhghleacaí, an Seanadóir Cullinane, níos túisce maidir leis an díospóireacht a bhí againn aréir. Is cuma cén tuairim atá againn maidir leis an mBille a chuir an Seanad tríd aréir, caithfear a admháil go raibh caighdeán na díospóireachta go dona. Bhí an t-am a bhí leagtha ar leataobh don díospóireacht i bhfad ró-ghearr. Ní dóigh liom gur bealach maith é sin le haghaidh obair an Tí seo a chur chun cinn. Cineál masla a bhí ann, ar bhealach, ar an obair atáimid ag iarraidh a dhéanamh. Tá daoine sa dream seo againne atá diongbháilte agus a dhéanann a gcuid oibre go dúthrachtach. Ní dóigh liom gurb é seo an bealach is fearr le reachtaíocht a chur tríd.

Nótáilim go bhfuil sé roghnaithe ag an Teach eile 6 Márta seo chugainn a thógáil le haghaidh lá na Gaeilge.

I understand the Dáil has agreed to discuss lá na Gaeilge on 6 March. The Leader has agreed to arrange for the Minister of State at the Department of the Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht, Deputy McGinley, to come to the House to discuss Gaeltacht issues but it would be useful if we could have a debate as Gaeilge on that day on some other issue. A number of Ministers would be able to respond to such a debate.

I may have been taken up wrongly yesterday when I mentioned Older and Bolder and the cuts to its funding. I was calling for a debate on the community and voluntary sector, which has experienced severe cuts in the past several years. Many agencies have lost their funding and much of the infrastructure for the sector is falling by the wayside due to budgetary and economic constraints. We should have a debate on the implications for this important sector because we certainly need the supports it offers to our communities.