Trevor Ó Clochartaigh (Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I dtosach báire, ba mhaith liom rud a nótáil ó thaobh rialacha an Tí seo. We had a debate yesterday evening where it came to light that when people want to abstain without having to press a walk-though vote, no record is kept of the abstentions on such a vote. This might be something that requires consideration through the Committee on Procedure and Privileges. There was a motion here on voting rights in presidential elections yesterday. An amendment was put forward by the Government, which had a right to do that. It was our intention as members of the Sinn Féin group in the House to abstain on that vote and have it recorded but apparently there is no mechanism to have that recorded. I ask the Committee on Procedure and Privileges to consider that because there is a recording mechanism for it other parliaments.

Ba mhaith liom tacú go huile is go hiomlán leis an méid a dúirt an Seanadóir Ardagh ar maidin maidir le cás mhuintir Árann. Tá géarchéim damanta anseo. Tá sé ardaithe agam roinnt mhaith uaireanta leis an gCeannaire. The situation in Inis Mór this morning is diabolical. Hundreds of people are protesting on the pier because they have no ferry service. It is disgraceful that it has not been sorted out. I have raised the matter again and again in these Houses. I raised it when we had a meeting with the Minister of State with responsibility for Gaeltacht affairs and natural resources, Deputy Kyne, and the officials from Galway County Council. I also raised it when we met with officials from the Department of Arts, Heritage, Regional, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs. I know the matter has been raised with the Minister of State but it is time somebody got all of the players around the table and banged a few heads together. There will have to be a compromise. A Senator from the Government side used a very good metaphor in respect of this. If a bridge had broken somewhere in County Galway and the CEO of the county council was asked to go out there and act, he would be out there first thing in the morning to get it fixed. For the people of Inis Mór, this is the same as having a bridge. It is a lifeline for the islands. It affects people who need to go to hospital, teachers trying to get in and out to teach in schools, people who are working on the islands and the tourism industry. It is unacceptable. I call on the Minister of State or the Taoiseach to intervene and say, "Lads, get around the table. Let's find the compromise." There needs to be a compromise between Galway County Council, the ferry operator and the Department to find a resolution. For more than a month, I have been calling for the Minister of State to tell us what his plan B is. There appears to be no plan B. He is depending on some kind of deal being cobbled together today such as the council passing a motion at its budgetary meeting today to edge forward a couple of weeks or days. That is not acceptable either. We need to know whether the Department of Defence has been contacted as to the use of a naval vessel to bring people in and out of the island. Sinn Féin took it upon itself to ask the Minister of State with responsibility for defence. I ask the Leader to use his good offices to ask him whether he will intervene and provide an essential transport service on a daily basis for the people of the Aran Islands so that they are not left stranded on Inis Mór.