Mattie McGrath spoke to the chamber, criticising a rushed proposal and stating he would support an amendment. He urged the minister to listen to the experts and insisted on independence from the Construction Industry Federation and quarry interests.
Support for amendment
McGrath said he was supporting the amendment and expressed solidarity with his colleague Richard Dunne. He told the minister he backed the change and welcomed those who had travelled to the gallery in support.
Criticism of the proposal
He described the measure as rushed and "half-baked" and warned against letting vested interests shape outcomes - using the imagery of the "fox minding the henhouse" to underline his point. He argued such an approach would produce poor results for the public.
Independence from industry
McGrath emphasised the need to be independent of the Construction Industry Federation and quarry people. He warned that influence from those groups would prevent a proper fix and leave an "elephant in the room".
Experts and independence
While acknowledging that "experts are experts," he insisted that independence from industry bodies was paramount. He urged decision-makers to listen to expert advice while remaining independent in judgment.
Acknowledgements in the gallery
He opened by welcoming the people who had travelled to the gallery and closed by thanking David. His remarks combined criticism of the process with explicit support for the proposed amendment and his committee colleague.
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I welcome all the people that have travelled again to the gallery tonight and said I am supporting this and it is no gallery, what is going on? It is rushed and half-baked and if you have, as I said, the fox minding the henhouse, what do you expect to get? Dead hens in the morning and no eggs or maybe not lugger the fox wouldn't eat. So I am just telling you, Minister, and supporting the amendment, and supporting Richard Dunne, my colleague here who is on the committee, listen to the experts, and you might say experts are experts, yeah, but above all I must be independent, independent of the Construction Industry Federation and indeed any of the quarry people or whatever, because we can't fix the problem if there is an elephant in the room, so I am supporting this amendment as well. Thank you, David. Thank you.
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