Seosamh Ó Cuaig, a member of the
Údarás Na Gaeltachta board and an Independent candidate in thc local elcctions for Galway County
Council, has welcomed the response of Gaeltacht Minister Ó Cuív to his proposal that Conamara should
have its own local authority structure.
Minister Ó Cuív, said Ó Cuaig, admitted this week that there were problems with County Council services and
that he was particularly dissatisified with the situation in Conamara.
The Minister said that Galway County Council could begin by introducing the typc of regional system Cork County Council
In welcoming Minister Ó Cuív's remarks, Mr
Ó Cuaig stated: "I feel the Minister is accepting what we all know
to be a fact. Conamara has been consistently under-funded by galway County
Council. The solution lies in establishing our own local authority. Why should
Conamara be treated any differently than Leitrim or Longford when we have 5000
more voters in our electorla district than either of these counties?
"My only concern about the growing consensus amongst
the candidates around this issue is that some of them might think it can be
quietly dropped after the election. I will make sure it remains on the agenda
within the council chamber."
"I believe," he said this week, "there has
to be a Conamara structure and in that context we must also look at the role of
Údarás na Gaeltachta - whether or not the Údarás
should have some of the functions of a local authority."
hoped to set up and that that could he the first step of a process towards a local authority for Conamara.
| Connaught Tribune - 4-6-2004 |