Mattie McGrath urges rural investment and accountability
Mattie McGrath spoke about rural services, health provision and infrastructure, welcoming parts of the five-year programme while pressing for accountability. He supported removal of the carers means test over five years and called for better local health and ambulance services and a bypass for Tipperary Town.
Programme welcome and carers means test
Mattie McGrath referenced Councillor Richard Millay and welcomed the inclusion of a removal of the carers means test in the five-year programme. He said the change followed sustained argument and that he welcomed the move for carers in South Tipperary.
Concerns over project costs and value for money
McGrath warned against runaway projects and demanded accountability and value for money, citing a Dublin water-pipe scheme that he said rose from £2 billion to £10 billion before it began. He urged tighter cost control on major infrastructure projects.
Local health services and mental health beds
McGrath highlighted undelivered local capacity, saying a 60-bed unit in St Paterson Castle has not been provided and calling for reopening of St British and Carrick. He raised mental health shortages, stating there is not a single mental health long-stay bed in Tipperary and that patients must be sent to sites that are full.
Ambulance reform and Tipperary infrastructure needs
McGrath called for reform of the National Ambulance Service and a new ambulance base for South Tipperary, describing the current facility as chronic. He reiterated the urgent need for a bypass for Tipperary Town and said he had received a positive response from the Taoiseach and planned to meet the minister on the issue.
Local democracy and political tone
McGrath argued for reinstatement of borough councils as a pathway into local politics and urged investment outside Dublin, stressing local pride and resilience. He also criticised efforts he described as attempts to silence dissent, saying "we won't be silenced."
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Let's dive into the discussions shaping the nation. Councillor Richard Millay, who was an unsuccessful candidate for the Senate, but did very well, is the carer's manager in South Tipperary, and after long arguing, it is included, albeit over the five-year programme, to get rid of the horrible means test, I welcome it. There are also so many other projects, Minister, and what we really need to do is get accountability, and stop the runaway projects, like Nolan just mentioned, the partying up the Dublin water pipe, they talked about £2 billion for that, now it's gone to £10 billion before it even starts. We must get value for money, we have a 60-bed unit in St Paterson Castle that hasn't been delivered for a long-stay, St British and Carrick, I'm sure that it needs to be reopened, as I said, and of course mental health, we don't have a single mental health long-stay bed in Tipperary, South Tipperary has to go to Kenny who are full, and North Tipperary has to go to Innes, and that's not fair. We also need, as I said, the reinstatement of the borough councils, because it was the best way of getting people in politics, and they locally severing their own people, and it brought on people from that as well. And actually, we need a reform of the National Ambulance Service, and we need a new ambulance space for South Tipperary, the one we have is chronic, so there are many, many aspects of the programme that I welcome, and I support, and I look forward to the change, and I really am quite pleased that it has taken Michael Ring's advice, that they were going too far liberal and too far left for far too long. So we're back to basics, bread and butter, infrastructure, look after people, and try and have people recognise the CAM service in South Tipperary is non-existent, and the whole area, you know, mental health, they're linked, and the frustration on people trying to get special in these places. So I know everything can't be done together, but look, working together, I believe, and we will be able to achieve much, and also the fact that we badly, badly need a bypass for Tipperary Town. I raised it here this morning, early on, on public legislation, and we need it. I got a good response from the Taoiseach, and I need to meet Minister O'Brien in the next hour to discuss that. Issues like that can't be all Dublin-centric, it must have investment in rural Ireland. We have good people out there, and we have, we have proud people in Ireland, willing to put their show under the wheel. We saw that in the recent sense of the mail, with the storm. And can I thank you, Count Codiffa, and the government, we're giving us some time here. We have parties here who want us to be silenced, and we have so-called independent, fake independence, I call them, independent Ireland, who want to silence us also. But that's not acceptable, and we won't be silenced. Thank you. Like, share, and subscribe, and let us know your thoughts in the comments. We'd love to hear from you.
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