Fidelma Healy Eames (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister of State for her reply and the House for its indulgence in respect of the time. I hear what the Minister of State is saying about national policy. That is not at issue here. I accept that the national devolves to local, etc., but the issue here is the way the committee made its decision. It is not putting people first at local level. If it was, this decision would not have been taken, given the vastness of the county and the differences in people's needs in west Galway and east Galway. The general view at the meeting, including that of people who are members of the LCDC committee, is that they did not know on what it was they were voting. That is a serious issue. Does the Minister of State accept how serious it is? Only five out of nineteen committee members could cast a vote. How could that be a democratic decision? The view in the room and the view of everyone I am meeting is that the committee process which made the decision was flawed in the first instance. In summing up those circumstances, how can we revisit the LCDC decision so that people will be informed on the next occasion?