61. Deputy Mairéad Farrell asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, National Development Plan Delivery and Reform his plans to improve the quality of infrastructure in the west of Ireland; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5052/25]

Sentiment score: 0.15

Tá sé feicthe againn le coicís anois cé chomh dona is atá an buninfreastuchtúr san iarthar agus i leithéidí Chonamara. We have seen the lack of good quality infrastructure across the west, and particularly in Connemara, over the past two weeks. The Minister has responsibility for infrastructure. What are his plans are to improve the quality of infrastructure in the west?

Sentiment score: 0.15

Mar gheall go raibh an tAire ina Aire Stáit le freagracht as an nGaeltacht, tá a fhios agam go dtuigeann sé go maith an easpa infreastruchtúir atá i gConamara. I know, from the Deputy Chambers' time as Minister of State for the Gaeltacht, he travelled around the Gaeltacht areas. He travelled extensively around Connemara. That gives the Minister good insight as to the real issues in terms of that basic infrastructure piece in Connemara. People have now been almost two weeks without access to telecommunications. They are being told that they do not even have a date as to when their broadband and telephone lines will be restored. That is ridiculous. This is not the first time it has happened. It also happened in November. It happened for two to three weeks in parts of Connemara as well. What I want to see, and what I hope the Minister will take seriously - I think he will - is investment in buninfreastuchtúr or basic infrastructure, that is, the telephone poles, the masts, etc. Serious investment is needed. It will take a long time. Such investment will give rise to a longer term gain, but we need to have a plan in place. Will the Minister be putting a plan in place for that?

Sentiment score: 0.08

I thank the Minister. The review of the NDP is something I will contribute to. I hear what the Minister is saying. We need investment in roads. We need investment in public transport as well across the areas in question. When I am talking about basic infrastructure, I mean those 38 KV lines and the lines that run directly into people's homes. Everything is crumbling. If the Minister travels across Connemara, he will see poles split in half. From when the original damage happened in November, there are still lines lying across the ground that have not been fixed. There is a massive amount of work that needs to be done, specifically in respect of simple things such as replacing or repairing poles. There are things that we need to look at. With the weather changing, things will become increasingly difficult. During Storm Darragh, what happened was that some of the poles fell and some of the wires fell also. It was just a little bit of snow. It was not a horrendous amount, but it managed to stop all telecommunications for a two-week period. Can the Minister, who sits at Cabinet, prioritise ensuring that there is an investigation into why the 999 call system was not working and that this does not happen again?

Sentiment score: 0.01

63. Deputy Mairéad Farrell asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, National Development Plan Delivery and Reform for an update on his new proposed legislation on super junior Ministers; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5054/25]

Sentiment score: 0.20

This question follows our discussions last night on the Minister's proposed legislation on super junior Ministers and on increasing their number. Will the Minister give an update on that? The legislation was railroaded through last night and the same thing looks set to be done today in the Seanad.

Sentiment score: 0.21

I said last night and will say again that the Bill was railroaded through the Dáil yesterday. It was, again, jobs for the boys, and Mercs and perks. What sickens me is the fact we are always told that things cannot be done overnight but things can be done overnight when it means certain people get more perks, money and all of that. When we see the types of crises we have and the type of waste of public money that the previous Government, and this Government, have engaged in, it is absolutely outrageous. We were very clear last night we are totally opposed to this Bill. We will make that very clear again today in the Seanad. Out of interest, what legal advice did the Minister get on this? Did he seek independent legal advice on this? We know there are two cases before the High Court at the moment. What legal advice did the Minister get and what did it state?

Sentiment score: 0.13

I do not think the Minister answered my question from last night when I asked which super junior Minister would be impacted by the legislation. If only three were being allowed, which super junior Minister was not getting the full whack money if he or she was the fourth super junior Minister? Maybe the Minister can enlighten us on that. He is missing the point here. He is talking about what is happening in other countries. We can agree or disagree on that. We can have that argument. The point here is that if the Minister believes so strongly that this needs to happen, why does he not ask the people? The Constitution is clear about Cabinet confidentiality, the 15 Ministers in Cabinet and all that. If the Minister feels that strongly about it and really believes it, then he should go to the people and ask them. Why is the Government making this decision and railroading it through the Dáil? We have two cases going forward. The prudent thing to do would be to see what comes out of them before bringing this legislation through the Dáil.

Sentiment score: 0.18