I wish to thank you, Sir, for giving me this opportunity to raise an important local issue. However, let me say at the outset that I am extremely disappointed that the Minister for the Environment or the Minister of State are not present. It begs the question whether this is merely an exercise in optics, some sort of democracy by charade. The Minister of State had no input into the reply he will be reading. I wonder if the points I am about to raise will be relayed to the Minister for the Environment. Perhaps the Minister of State could address this in his reply.
The public lighting in the town of Macroom is an absolute disgrace and it is high time that the Department of the Environment made a specific allocation of moneys available to rectify the situation. The poor lighting in the town is responsible for increasing the number of accidents in the town involving pedestrians being struck by passing cars. Poor lighting also facilitates increases in crime in the area; elderly people, in particular, living in badly lit areas are especially vulnerable. Poor lighting has the additional impact of presenting an image of stagnation and neglect in the town when in fact the opposite is the case.
The town is located on the N22 national primary route and therefore the responsibility rests fairly and squarely on the Department of the Environment to provide the necessary funds for this development. Villages east and west of Macroom — Lisarva to the east and the twin villages of Ballyvourney and Ballymakeera to the west — have had significant improvement in the provision of public lighting as a result of specific allocations from the Department of the Environment in recent years. Macroom, the capital of the Barony of Muskerry, is certainly the poor relation.
I want to remind the Minister briefly — I had hoped that the Minister or the Minister of State at the Department of the Environment would be present — that a commitment was given to a deputation from Macroom Urban District Council which I and my constituency colleague, Deputy Kelly, joined at the Minister of State's office. That deputation were given a commitment that these lights would be provided and the Minister agreed to provide the necessary funds in 1991. That promise was broken. The people of Macroom hope that the Minister will make amends in 1992.