Trevor Ó Clochartaigh (Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

Gaeltacht areas have been severely hit by the way the Minister has reallocated the funding. He keeps changing the goal posts in regard to Leader spending.

The Minister keeps talking about the fact that under the new model the decisions will be made and because there will be elected representatives on the committees, the process will be democratic. Surely the Minister knows that there are already elected representatives on the boards of the new cohesive companies. There are four pillars on those boards. If I recall correctly, some 23 committees are elected in rural areas and 21 in urban areas, and part of that is the four pillars, which include locally elected representatives. Therefore, they are already part of the decision-making process.

Will the Minister clarify the relationship between these committees and those local companies that will remain in existence? The Minister said in response to earlier questions that people will still be employed in those local areas to deliver services, etc., but the cheque book remains with the county council. In the case of those companies that remain in existence, will the elected representatives be on the boards?