Rose Conway Walsh (Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

You stole my line, a Chathaoirligh. That is what I had intended to say. I would not describe them as limited.

On behalf of the Sinn Féin team I send solidarity to the citizens of France on the destruction of Notre Dame cathedral. Everybody watched what was happening there last night with sadness.

I wish to propose a change to the Order of Business with regard to the Aircraft Noise (Dublin Airport) Bill 2018. This Bill is far too serious to be pushed through Committee and Remaining Stages. I propose that we take Committee Stage this evening and I ask Fianna Fáil, in particular, to support the Sinn Féin amendments. We should not proceed beyond Committee Stage of the Bill this evening due to its importance and the impact it will have on the lives of people who are living around Dublin Airport.

I also wish to commend the community employment, CE, supervisors who have once again gathered outside these Houses to put their case forward. Their case, which was agreed at the Labour Court ten years ago and in a cross-party motion last year, is to give simple pension entitlements to CE supervisors and workers. It is no more complicated than that. These are workers who have not had a wage increase for the last ten years. It is scandalous that they have to come here to protest for workers' rights. I am fearful of the impact that the threatened five-day strike which they feel compelled to carry out will have on communities throughout the country in the future.

I wish to speak on broadband and the betrayal of rural Ireland. It is an absolute betrayal, but it is not a betrayal that occurred today or yesterday. It is a betrayal of rural Ireland and everything to do with it by this Government, the last Government and the Fianna Fáil Government before that. I have said several times in the House that Fianna Fáil sold our main telecommunications company, leaving us at the mercy of French and Australian multimillionaires. The centralisation and privatisation policies of both Governments have betrayed rural Ireland for decades. It must stop.We only have to look at the western rail corridor development, which is badly needed. My colleague, Matt Carthy, MEP, had secured the backing of the European Parliament to have the western rail corridor as a priority in the report for consideration. It then went into secret talks and the bureaucracy of the European Commission where it was blocked. Had the Irish Government wanted it, it could have ensured that the western rail corridor development remained on the table for the funding. When the questions were put to the Minister for Tourism, Transport and Sport, Deputy Ross, as to why the western rail corridor was removed, he cited confidentiality clauses. We see this time and time again, hiding behind supposed confidentiality clauses. Only last week, the Government was criticising a prominent public figure for not answering serious questions in front of the committee but when it comes to rural Ireland, the same behaviour is acceptable. MEPs from many other European countries saw the urgent need for the rail transport development in the west and voted in favour of it. Then behind closed doors and in full view of the Fine Gael-led Government, it disappeared.

I ask the people in the west to ask the candidates from Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael what exactly happened to the bid to have the rail corridor included in that round of funding. What is going on in respect of rural Ireland is disgraceful. It has to stop. Nice words do not cook the goose.