Tim Lombard (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I raise the question of public amenities, or the lack of them, at areas such as beaches. Speaking to people at the weekend, it seems this is a major problem we have ignored totally for the past decade. We have the most beautiful beaches and scenery from Mayo all the way to Cork but the lack of public amenities at these beaches is a real disgrace. Families going to a beach might have no access to an amenity, which makes no sense whatever. We have spoken about a State vacation policy and investment in sports capital grants but I do not understand why we do not have a significant programme in place to have beaches and walkways included in public amenities.

I can give a really basic example. Sherkin Island is a wonderful part of west Cork, with a ferry going out in the morning and coming back in the evening, but there are no public amenities on it. I have spoken to residents there and people operating the ferry, and it seems that for six or seven hours people may be stuck on the island with no place to go. The lack of joined-up thinking is beyond belief.

We need a really significant debate about how we are going to ensure our public amenities are more accessible to society, with access to toilets etc. We are not doing enough in that regard. In many ways, the local authorities have failed in this and walked away from the matter. As a result, action must come from the national Government. Funding must be put in place nationally to ensure we can provide such opportunities. Currently there is no such funding stream and although there are plenty of grand plans, there is nothing on the ground. I am a family man and we were at the beach last weekend. It is appalling to think that in this age, a person literally has no place to go. It is not good enough.