Rose Conway Walsh (Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

It was totally unacceptable and it should never happen again in this House. He never addressed any of the issues I raised about Knock airport, the development of a proper hospital in Galway, roads infrastructure or broadband infrastructure. Instead he engaged in a huge rant against Sinn Féin. He should be able to come into the House as a Minister of State and address these very important issues. I will leave it to the people of rural Ireland and the people of the west to judge how competent he is as a Minister of State making vital decisions that affect our future. It should never be allowed to happen here and I hope it never happens again.

Speaking about infrastructure in the west of Ireland, I was very disappointed to read today in the Tuam Heraldabout Deputy Micheál Martin's endorsement of the greenway between Tuam and Athenry. We and the western rail corridor action group have been campaigning for years to bring back the train services to have proper connectivity all along the west coast. Fianna Fáil might be throwing up its hands at this and stating it will not happen and that the investment in infrastructure is not needed in the west but we in Sinn Féin will keep up the fight for rural Ireland to have proper infrastructure and proper rail services. The excuse is used that not enough people are using the rail services but if the timetabling is not right the investment is not put into it and it is not there to suit the public. That means the people are not able to use it. It is just another example of Fianna Fáil kowtowing to Fine Gael's neglect of the west and it is not acceptable.

The other issue I want to speak about today is physiotherapy. I commend my colleague, Deputy Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin, for bringing forward today our prebudget submission on rights and equality and prioritising people with disabilities. We must be on the side of people with disabilities. The measure I wish to speak about is the employment of 600 additional front-line staff, including speech and language therapists, occupational therapists, physiotherapists and psychologists, and the expenditure of €32.76 million to engage these extra staff who are needed. This is vital for all areas, including the west and Mayo. At present, we see where we do not have the physiotherapy or occupational therapy needed for children with disabilities and adults with disabilities. They have been clinically assessed as needing weekly, and sometimes twice weekly, physiotherapy and they are not getting it. In my area people have to do a round trip of 100 miles just to access a physiotherapist. This is not right and it needs to be addressed. I am very glad it is addressed in our prebudget submission, which is fully costed to show how it can be done if the Government will is there to do it.