Susan O'Keeffe (Labour) | Oireachtas source

The fact the Senator was not at it does not make it a secret meeting. We are in a serious position. The Minister has said he wants a solution to the finance issue in Sligo County Council. I have made clear that I believe we need a collaborative and coherent response to the debts of Sligo County Council. I do not believe we need a deadline, although I know why the deadline is in place. It is because that is when the council is due to meet to discuss the budgets. However, I do not believe that discussion will provide a coherent, collaborative and cogent response to the difficulties facing Sligo County Council. I made my position clear in public this morning and I do so again now.

It is a difficult position when a council faces the kind of debt faced by Sligo County Council. Nobody in this Chamber, not even Senator MacSharry, would approve of any council carrying that kind of debt. However, there should be no rushing into a quick fix for a council that has had such tough times, is central to the activity of the county and puts in time and effort to try to build the county for a sustainable future. If, as we now find, there is a more positive approach in Sligo and people are working as hard as possible to try to build a future for the county, pulling the house down, particularly in short order, is not the correct approach.

I know the Minister is not intent on abolishing Sligo County Council, and Senator MacSharry knows that well.