Gerard Craughwell (Independent) | Oireachtas source

First and foremost, I agree with my colleague, Senator Darragh O'Brien, regarding the debate on mortgages, rent controls and so on. I have spoken about this before and I do not intend to go any further on it now other than to ask that it be considered and brought forward as quickly as possible.

I want to ask the Leader about an important item, and I ask that he not tell me it is an Adjournment matter. The issue is the withdrawal of funding for the non-Gaeltacht islands. Six hundred thousand euro is all that is required to keep these islands going. I had a discussion this weekend with the secretary of a company on one of the islands, who gave me an idea of the work he does. One of the recent jobs he had to do, at 5 o'clock in evening, was to re-laminate a mortuary card for a wreath for a funeral. Five minutes later he was on the telephone to the Minister, organising a €1.5 million grant for work on the island's harbour. The islands involved are Inishbofin, Inishturk, Clare Island, Bere Island, Sherkin Island, Dursey Island, Whiddy Island, Long Island and Heir Island. The types of service involved are youth services, services for the elderly, playgroups, after-school groups, waste management and community employment and training schemes - I could go on and on. I believe we owe the islands the justice of discussing this withdrawal of funds given that they are a unique part of our heritage.

People might ask why a Senator based in Dublin is interested in the islands. My father, God be good to him, put the lights on every island off the west coast of Ireland when they were gas lights. He put gas fridges in every house on every island off the west coast. I would hate to think that some of those islands would finish up depopulated as a result of the withdrawal of a miserable €600,000, which, in the grand scheme of things and given what we are spending on water, broadband and so on, is a mere pittance. I ask the Leader to consider a debate in the House in order that we can focus attention on this funding.