Our Rural Future: Statements

Go raibh maith agat, a Chathaoirligh Gníomhach. It is good to see you in the Chair. We will all give the Ceann Comhairle a reference to say how good you are. Is cúis áthais dom deis a bheith agam labhairt sa Teach inniu maidir le Ár dTodhchaí Tuaithe, beartas forbartha tuaithe náisiúnta nua an Rialtais don tréimhse ó 2026 go 2031 a sheolamar seachtain ó shin. Gabhaim buíochas le hoifigigh mo Roinne a d'oibrigh go díograiseach chun an beartas seo a fhorbairt le roinnt míonna anuas. Nuair a sheolamar Ár dTodhchaí Tuaithe in 2021, bhraitheamar ollmhéid na hacmhainne a bhaineann lenár gceantair thuaithe. Leagamar amach cur chuige uaillmhianach uile-rialtais i leith na forbartha tuaithe. Cuireann an leagan nua de Ár dTodhchaí Tuaithe leis an dul chun cinn suntasach atá déanta go dtí seo. Leagtar amach fís ann i gcomhair ceantair thuaithe na hÉireann atá bríomhar agus ina gcuirtear daoine agus pobail tuaithe ag croílár na forbartha tuaithe. Our Rural Future 2036-2031 brings together commitments from across Government to ensure that rural communities have the infrastructure, services and supports they need to prosper. It includes a range of new measures and initiatives to support rural enterprise and employment, improve access to essential services in remote areas, tackle rural isolation and strengthen community resilience through innovation and technology. Before I get into the details of the new policy, I would like to spend a few moments reflecting on what has been achieved so far. In the past five years, Our Rural Future has delivered vital investment and supports to rural areas, strengthened local economies and improved quality of life for people across rural Ireland. Through sustained investment and strong partnerships with local authorities, State agencies and rural communities, the Government has delivered real improvements across rural Ireland. Government has provided an unprecedented level of investment in rural communities, with more than €1 billion allocated to support thousands of projects since 2020. These investments range from small-scale local improvements to large-scale regeneration initiatives, all delivering tangible social, economic and environmental benefits for rural communities. The first Our Rural Future policy set out an ambitious set of actions over its lifetime and our approach to implementation was successful. One hundred and fifty measures, or 84%, are either fully completed or being successfully implemented. This has shown we can and will deliver for rural Ireland. Through the rural regeneration and development fund, RRDF, and the town and village renewal scheme, over €560 million has been invested in rural regeneration projects, helping to tackle vacancy and dereliction, revitalise town centres and support economic activity in our rural towns and villages. The development of a national network of over 400 remote working hubs has opened up new opportunities for remote working, while the roll-out of the national broadband plan has improved digital connectivity. We have seen significant improvements in essential services. The connecting Ireland rural mobility plan, for example, has delivered 185 new or enhanced services since its launch in 2022, linking over 240 towns and villages to the public transport network. We have also strengthened the infrastructure at the heart of community life. The community centre investment fund has invested over €112 million in supporting upgrades to over 1,600 community facilities, helping to ensure that communities have welcoming, accessible and comfortable spaces in which to come together. We have allocated funding of over €150 million under the local improvement scheme, funding work on over 3,000 road projects and benefiting over 16,000 people. This year CLÁR has been expanded, bringing the total population under it to over 1 million people for the first time. We can see the benefits of this investment on the regeneration and revitalisation of town and village centres and the enhancement of community facilities and public amenities, such as community centres, walking trails, libraries, playgrounds and public realm works. The funding and supports delivered under the rural development investment programme will continue to have a critical role to play in the implementation of the new Our Rural Future. One of my priorities is to ensure that funding available under the programme is responsive to priorities at local level. We will roll out further calls for proposals across all schemes under the programme to support small, medium and large-scale capital projects in rural areas, delivering €500 million in capital funding over the 2026-2028 period. We will implement improvements to the rural development investment programme to ensure this funding is more accessible to community groups on the ground. This will ensure that the communities most in need receive funding. One of the greatest privileges of serving as Minister for Rural and Community Development and the Gaeltacht is the opportunity to visit communities across the country and see at first hand the impact of our investment. Behind every project and every big figure are real benefits for real people and tangible improvements that are making a meaningful difference to people’s everyday lives. Last month, I visited Leitrim and turned the sod on the Glenfarne wood project. This project received €2.45 million in RRDF funding and will transform the woodland and lakeshore of Glenfarne into a major visitor attraction within Ireland’s hidden heartlands, bringing more visitors, more footfall, more spending and, consequently, more jobs to the area. I opened the new narrow gauge trail in Drumshanbo, which received €400,000 in outdoor recreation infrastructure scheme, ORIS, funding and demonstrates the real and lasting impact that investment in outdoor recreation can have on rural communities. In the heart of Manorhamilton, I had the privilege of opening the Manor youth hub. This previously vacant building has been redeveloped, providing a fully accessible, dedicated and vibrant youth hub. This demonstrates the change and transformation that can happen when a local authority, Government and, most importantly, a community work together to bring their vision to life. Ní gá a rá go bhfuil tiomantas daingean againn leanúint lenár n-uaillmhian a thabhairt i gcrích i leith ceantair thuaithe na hÉireann. Ní hamháin atáimid ag tosú; is ag cur leis an méid atá déanta le blianta beaga anuas agus feabhas a chur air atáimid. Cé gur cheart dúinn an méid atá déanta againn go dtí seo a aithint, tá a fhios agam nach bhfuil an obair críochnaithe. We know that rural Ireland is continuing to face severe challenges, including access to essential services, housing, climate pressures and the need to create sustainable economic opportunities. This is why Our Rural Future 2026-2031 is so important. The overarching objective of the policy remains to support the continued economic, social and environmental development of rural Ireland. It brings together commitments from across Government to support balanced regional development, protect and enhance our rural environment and ensure that rural communities have the infrastructure, services and supports they need to prosper. We will build on the momentum and progress that have been achieved to date to deliver targeted, meaningful and practical benefits that improve the everyday lives of those living and working in rural Ireland. The policy is structured around five interconnected pillars which provide a clear framework for our continued whole-of-government approach to rural development. The first pillar, thriving rural places, focuses on investing in our rural towns, villages and communities, ensuring they remain vibrant, attractive and sustainable places to live, work and raise families. Through this pillar, we will build on the significant investment already being delivered through our rural development investment programme with a particular focus on revitalising our towns and villages, improving essential infrastructure and harnessing the opportunities presented by digital connectivity. The second pillar focuses on access to high-quality public services. It recognises that the availability and accessibility of these services is fundamental to the quality of life of people living in rural areas. This will include further improvements in rural transport, ensuring that health and disability services respond to the needs of rural communities and supporting access to education and childcare. Rud atá tábhachtach ná go n-aithnítear faoin cholún seo nach mór cinntiú gur féidir rochtain a fháil ar sheirbhísí poiblí d'ardchaighdeán trí Ghaeilge. Tá an plean gníomhaíochta ina thaobh seo i bhfeidhm anois, le sprioc maidir le 20% cainteoirí Gaeilge sa tseirbhís phoiblí faoi 2030. A strong and diverse rural economy is fundamental to Ireland’s overall prosperity and competitiveness. Our third pillar thus focuses on supporting rural enterprise and employment, developing key sectors of the rural economy and ensuring that rural Ireland is well positioned to respond to a changing economy, new ways of working and challenges that may come. We want to see rural businesses grow and succeed, new opportunities for enterprise emerge and for people across rural Ireland to have the opportunity to build rewarding and successful careers without having to leave their communities. Through Our Rural Future, we will build on the strengths of our rural economy, support innovation and enterprise and ensure that rural Ireland continues to make a vital contribution to our national economic success. Our fourth pillar, resilient rural communities, recognises that the greatest strength of rural Ireland lies in its people and in the communities they call home. Across rural Ireland, we see the enormous contribution of local communities, voluntary organisations and community groups whose dedication and commitment are central to our rural areas being vibrant, inclusive and welcoming places. Through this pillar, we will build on that strong community spirit, empowering local communities to shape their own futures and equipping them to respond to new and emerging challenges. We will also focus on supporting the well-being and safety of people living in rural areas while celebrating the rich cultural heritage and diversity that make our rural communities so unique. The final pillar, sustaining our rural environment, recognises the vital role that rural Ireland will play in delivering on our climate and environmental ambition. Rural Ireland is home to some of the world’s most valuable natural resources and landscapes. We have a responsibility to protect and enhance them for future generations. Through this pillar, we will support rural communities to become more resilient to the impacts of climate change while harnessing the opportunities presented by renewable energy, sustainable agriculture and forestry and the growing bioeconomy and circular economy. Protecting and restoring biodiversity will also be a key focus, recognising the importance of our natural environment to the well-being and future prosperity of rural communities. We want to ensure our rural communities are not only supported through the transition to a greener economy but are empowered to benefit from the opportunities it presents. The new policy is about building on the momentum of the past five years, strengthening what is working but responding to the changing need and ambition of rural communities. We have focused on bringing all new and existing activity together in one place. This is how we will ensure that there is an effective focus on our rural communities across the full breadth of Government activity. The policy brings together a mix of new interventions and supports, with an expansion and improvement of existing activities in key areas such as rural transport, digital connectivity, enterprise support, support for inclusive community-building, the regeneration of our towns and villages and increased investment in our community facilities. One of the most important developments is the introduction of a new strategic rural investment fund for rural Ireland within the RRDF. This will provide a new approach to investment in major strategic investments at a regional level. It will broaden the fund’s remit and is aimed to help unlock major strategic capital projects and consequently attract investment and support enterprise and employment creation in rural areas. The goal of the fund will be to improve the long-term economic competitiveness and sustainability of regional and rural areas. We are currently finalising the full detail of this intervention. However, my overall aim is to provide support for a small but targeted number of projects of significant scale that deliver on our ambition to drive economic growth in regional and rural areas. We recognise the particular challenges facing some of our most remote rural communities. I believe a community-led or social enterprise-type approach can help support things like community cafes, community pubs or community shops in rural towns and villages. A new pilot initiative will be developed to support the establishment of social enterprise and community-led approaches in our most remote rural areas where gaps in local services are most acute. Community-led initiatives such as community shops and community cafes are becoming more and more prevalent. I want to be there to support them. Support will focus on areas where these key services may no longer be present in a rural community. This support will help to address unmet local needs, create employment opportunities and strengthen community resilience. Throughout our consultation process, the issue of rural isolation was mentioned and raised extensively. To respond to this, a new joint pilot initiative between my Department and Department of agriculture will explore locally based innovative approaches to addressing isolation in farming and rural communities and to strengthen social connections and well-being. Some €600,000 is earmarked for this in year one. Our approach will complement existing interventions in this area such as SICAP, Tidy Towns, CCIF, LEADER, CLÁR, men's and women's sheds, etc. The pilot will be place based and informed by local circumstances. The focus will be on new and innovative elements rather than simply funding existing activities or extending existing activities. We will see what is effective and what works well and then take our learnings from this pilot to inform ongoing initiatives that can be integrated into wider programmes such as SICAP and LEADER. Through a new community-led rural innovation fund, we will support locally driven initiatives that harness innovation and technology to address new challenges and build resilience in rural communities. I want to tap into local knowledge to see how new technologies will address specific local challenges in rural communities. We have set out the Government’s 34 commitments for delivery across all Departments and agencies over the lifetime of this policy. These commitments are supported by clear and practical actions. They are backed by substantial investment targeted at securing a more sustainable and resilient future for rural communities. Over 230 actions are set out for delivery over the first half of the policy period to the end 2028 across a wide range of areas from health, housing and education to digital connectivity, enterprise development and our culture, heritage and language. The development of these actions was rooted in a set of principles which guided our policymaking. These principles were informed by our consultation process, our experience of delivering policy and international best practice. It is very important to me for this policy to be people centred and placed based. This means putting people at the centre of this policy and understanding that there is a huge variety in the rural places we all call home. We recognised the unique circumstances and needs of different rural communities throughout the development of these actions. Another one of our principles is progression. We will build on our achievements; however, we will retain the flexibility needed to respond to emerging challenges and opportunities across the wide variety of rural contexts. The policy is grounded in participation and inclusion. It recognises the importance of addressing exclusion, isolation and inequality. We recognise the interdependence of our urban and rural areas. The success of each contributes to the prosperity of the other. Based on this principle, we took an integrated approach to policy development to ensure Our Rural Future 2026-2031 is in line with national, local and sectoral strategy, so we can co-ordinate the delivery of our goals. Our policy is reflective of the core principles of the EU’s long-term vision for rural areas. This vision is for rural communities that are stronger, more connected, resilient and prosperous, with local people actively shaping their futures. Rural communities must be at the heart of Europe’s economic, social and environmental development. Indeed, I have just come from our EU Presidency event taking place in Naas, Europe’s Rural Future, where over 200 people from across the EU have come together to discuss integrated approaches to rural development. At the heart of these discussions is the recognition that rural development must remain a strategic European priority. We must translate our shared vision into co-ordinated policies, effective investment and meaningful opportunities for rural communities across Europe. That is the central principle of our approach to rural development, combining national ambition and co-ordinated Government action with local knowledge, local leadership and local initiative. I will be returning to this conference tomorrow and our discussions will focus specifically on LEADER, including its contribution over 35 years to rural development, with a showcase of projects that are supported through the programme. Táimid fós faoi ghealltanas daingean tacaíocht a thabhairt dár bpobail Ghaeltachta agus na hoileáin, aitheantas a thabhairt dá sainriachtanais chultúir, teanga agus gheografacha, agus cinntiú go bhfuil na seirbhísí, an bonneagar agus na deiseanna acu chun go mbeidh rath orthu. Mar Aire Gaeltachta, chinntigh mé gur tháinig na méaduithe is mó riamh ar bhuiséad na Gaeltachta le dhá bhliain anuas. Gabhaim buíochas leis an Aire, an Teachta Jack Chambers, as a thacaíocht sa réimse seo. Through that support, we can invest €35 million in the new pier on Inis Oírr. Progress throughout this summer has been significant and gives a sense of the large-scale investment in rural communities. Our Rural Future 2026-2031 is firmly rooted in a comprehensive public and stakeholder consultation process. This process captured the views and the inputs of more than 2,000 participants. The process included an online public survey with more than 1,200 responses; a series of eight stakeholder and public events across the country; online and bilateral meetings with key stakeholders, representative groups and public bodies; and a debate within this House. We particularly sought to capture the voices of the new generation. The voices of young people were captured through the rural youth assembly, an initiative itself born out of the first Our Rural Future policy. This engagement has ensured we had a consultation process that lasted over a year, and was followed with engagement with a range of Departments. It was also informed by the OECD’s 2026 Rural Policy Review of Ireland, which highlighted the strengths of our whole-of-government approach. The OECD review had said, "Ireland has built one of the OECD's most sophisticated rural policy frameworks and has a unique whole-of-government approach that maintains visibility on rural impacts across all departments in Ireland." I present this policy to the House and I look forward to the debate. However, I also intend to continue the debate across the country. We will host five regional events in the midlands, the west, the south, the mid-west and the Border region during January and February, alongside an online event to make progress and get feedback on this plan. Our Rural Future will continue to be underpinned by funding through my Department's programmes, and will also have the support of Government colleagues through their programmes in each individual Department. The new policy seeks to respond to the emerging opportunities. It seeks to prepare our rural communities for challenges that we anticipate but also those that we cannot, through a place-based approach which recognises that rural areas are unique and that each of our areas has different needs, priorities and strengths. We will ensure that the distinct needs, opportunities and challenges of each rural community are reflected in delivery across all Government sectors to strengthen rural outcomes. I intend to ensure delivery of this and to ensure accountability to the House and to the various committees of the House, but most important, I intend to assure accountability to communities across the country whose futures are intertwined with this document. Go raibh míle maith agaibh.

Tá straitéis náisiúnta láidir de dhíth orainn chun todhchaí na tuaithe a chinntiú. Is léir sin dúinn go léir. A strategy for rural Ireland is important. It should set a clear direction, identify the challenges facing our communities and establish how the Government intends to address them. Our Rural Future 2026-2031 is an opportunity to do precisely that. Unfortunately, while it contains some welcome commitments, it falls short of what rural communities need and deserve. The central weakness of this strategy is that it does not adequately address the biggest challenge facing rural Ireland, namely, the ability of people to remain in, return to and build a future in their own communities. Young people cannot afford homes, families cannot find suitable sites to build on, and older people are increasingly isolated as local services disappear. The Government’s own consultation identified housing and generational renewal as major concerns, yet there is remarkably little in this strategy that explains how those challenges will actually be addressed. Young people want to stay in their communities. They want to build a home, to raise a family, to make a future where they grew up but, increasingly, they cannot afford to do so. They cannot secure planning permission or find a suitable site to build on. Ba cheart go mbeadh sé de cheart ag daoine óga teach a thógáil, agus clann a thógáil, ina bpobail féin faoin tuath agus sa Ghaeltacht. The Government has to answer some very basic questions, and this plan needs to answer those questions too. How many additional affordable and social homes in rural Ireland will be facilitated under this strategy? How many serviced sites will be provided? What measurable targets are being set in the housing space? If this is to be a whole-of-government approach, it really needs to answer those questions. It is not enough to say this is a matter for housing. That needs to be seen as core to developing, protecting and enhancing rural Ireland. We have heard plenty about housing delivery, vacant property and planning reform, but there is nothing sufficiently concrete on affordable housing for younger families, for serviced sites for local people, as I mentioned, or for tackling dereliction. The consequences are already evident. Research commissioned by the National Youth Council of Ireland found that 68% of young adults aged 18 to 24 are considering moving abroad, while 71% believe they would have a better quality of life elsewhere. That should be a serious warning to the Government. Generational renewal is not simply about attracting new businesses or promoting tourism. It is about whether young people can afford to remain in the places they call home. There are other significant weaknesses too. Small rural schools need certainty about their future. Rural families need access to childcare and school transport. People need access to GPs, primary care, community nursing and mental health services. Digital healthcare has a role to play here, but it cannot replace appropriate face-to-face care. The plan, and we in this Chamber, need also to talk about infrastructure. Rural communities are increasingly frustrated by the centralisation of services and the failure to provide basic infrastructure. Water services, roads, public transport and broadband are fundamental to sustaining our rural communities, yet people are too often left waiting while investment and decision-making are concentrated elsewhere. That is not to ignore the ageing population. Post offices, banks, shops, pubs and Garda stations have disappeared and are disappearing from communities. These are much more than commercial premises and public service buildings. They are part of the social infrastructure that allows people to remain connected and supported, that allows people as they get older to remain independent and to continue living independently in rural Ireland. On that point, I wish to acknowledge something positive in the strategy. I welcome the inclusion of a pilot initiative to tackle isolation in farming and rural communities. As the Minister will know, I have raised this repeatedly with him and the Minister of State, Deputy Buttimer, and have called for Government support for the farmer's yards initiative as an example. That model, developed by Dr. Shane Conway and Dr. Maura Farrell and piloted in Mountbellew mart, demonstrates the value of familiar community spaces in bringing people together. Is fiú fáilte a chur roimh an tionscnamh seo, ach ní leor tionscnamh píolótach amháin chun dul i ngleic leis an bhfadhb seo. Isolation is not confined to farming communities. It affects older people and younger people. It affects people living alone and families across rural Ireland. We need a sustained whole-of-government response to tackling isolation and loneliness, supported by proper resources and investment in community services, public transport and local services. It is really good to see that pilot scheme included, but it needs to be more than a pilot scheme. Hopefully, it will develop as such in time. Rural Ireland has enormous strength. Its people, its communities, its businesses, its culture, its primary producers and its contribution to our national economy should never be underestimated, but those communities cannot thrive on goodwill and resilience alone. They need the Government to match commitments with investment and delivery. The ultimate test of this strategy is straightforward: can people remain in, return to and build their futures in their own communities?

When I speak about our rural future and the future we have for our rural communities across this State and, as the Minister will know, across County Galway, the one thing that always springs to my mind is the basic, essential, fundamental infrastructure that any community needs in order not only to survive but also to thrive. One of the key issues that is raised with me continuously is the state of our roads across Connemara. The Minister will know Kylemore Abbey. Everybody has heard of it. Near Kylemore Abbey is Kylemore bridge. Over the winter, every few months, we see flooding at Kylemore bridge that makes the bridge impassable for local communities. It really concerns and terrifies the local community when they are not able to pass over the bridge. This has been going on for a long time and it is high time that all ducks were put into a row and that action was taken in relation to Kylemore bridge. Chomh maith leis sin, táim cinnte go bhfuil aithne mhaith ag an Aire ar Ros Muc agus go bhfuil a fhios aige cé chomh deacair is atá sé nuair nach bhfuil an buninfreastruchtúr ar fáil i leithéidí Ros Muc. Má bhreathnaímid ar Ros Muc mar shampla, is dócha go léiríonn sé na deacrachtaí atá ar fud Ghaeltacht Chonamara freisin. Is léir an easpa infheistíochta sa bhuninfreastruchtúr. Tá bóthar ag dul tríd Ros Muc atá i ndroch-chuí. Tá gá le hinfheistíocht cheart ann ionas go mbeadh sé sábháilte don cheantar agus go mbeadh sé sa chaoi gur chóir dó a bheith. Teastaíonn an infheistíocht sin. Aon uair a ardaím leis an gcomhairle contae é, deirtear liom nach bhfuil an t-airgead ann. Ba mhaith liom go gcuirfí an t-airgead ar fáil do bhóthar Ros Muc.

The Minister mentioned that the Government has five interconnected pillars. The first is "Thriving Rural Places", focusing on investment in our rural towns, villages and communities. Pillar 2 is to include improvements in rural transport. We in Sinn Féin believe that you should have a chance to build your own home, raise a family and make a future in the place you call home. That means action on affordable housing, serviced sites, dereliction, infrastructure and removing the planning barriers. On that, we still have massive issues with flooding in east Cork, particularly in my town, Midleton, but also in Whitegate, Rathcormack, Mogeely and other places. We do not have good rural transport. As regards the N25 from Cork to Midleton, the most dangerous road is probably from Midleton to Youghal, after which you hit Waterford. We do not have a railway because it was got rid of in the seventies. People are struggling. You cannot build confidence once you cannot get in and out of a town. Our post offices in rural areas are gone. Our pubs are gone. Those were the meeting places. I know of people in rural areas who during the Covid pandemic wrote to themselves so the postman would visit them. The postman was the only person they were seeing. I hope the Minister is right when it comes to this strategy for rural Ireland but I know for a fact that there is an awful lot more to do. We have had boil water notices for nearly ten years. In the Whitegate area it was affecting around 10,000 or 12,000 people. That is on and off. We are on about trying to build local communities and local areas and what we have here is zero confidence among commuters. There is, however, also a plus to this. If you were to have a proper public transport rail line from Midleton to Youghal, taking in Killeagh, Castlemartyr, other towns and the surrounding areas, with a spur out to Mogeely or Ballycotton, that can grow. The price of houses could come down. People could have a better chance to commute to and from college in UCC or wherever they are going. You can now get on the train in Midleton and go to Mallow. It takes the pressure off the hospitals in Cork city. There is a possibility of growing, but the most important thing here is that if we do not invest in the interconnectedness - one of the pillars - on rural transport, we are starting at a low base. There is a lot to be done.

For too long, rural Ireland has been left behind. Those of us who live in rural Ireland have all watched that decline. We have watched the post offices close, we have watched the banks disappear and we have watched essential services being stripped away - many times, essential government services being taken from our communities. Businesses have struggled, young people have been forced to move elsewhere and towns and villages that were once thriving communities, once known throughout the world for their outstanding beautiful Irishness, proud of their traditions, are becoming unrecognisable. We cannot accept that as inevitable. We need to turn the tide and we need to give people a genuine opportunity to live, to work and to raise their families in rural Ireland. That means investing in local services, improving our transport infrastructure, investing in water infrastructure, supporting employment and ensuring that people can access housing that is affordable in their own communities. A thriving rural community needs schools, shops, post offices, healthcare sevices, banking facilities and places where people can meet and socialise. These are the things that make a community a place to live rather than somewhere people return to at the end of the day. We also need to recognise the importance of supporting local businesses in creating employment opportunities so that young people are not forced to leave in search of a future elsewhere. Our Rural Future must be about more than just words and ambitious targets. The plan the Government has announced has the same types of ambitions as the old plan but the reality is, when I look at the communities around me, I see more decline. I see fewer post offices, banks and other services. There needs to be real delivery and a change of direction here. It needs to be about turning the tide. It needs to be about improving services, supporting local communities and giving people a genuine reason and opportunity to stay in rural Ireland. Déanann an Ghaeltacht suas cuid mhór dár gceantair thuaithe. Tá an Ghaeilge i mbaol. Caithfidh an Rialtas infheistíocht mar is ceart a chur isteach i gceantair Ghaeltachta ó thaobh scéimeanna agus infreastruchtúir de. Caithfidh sé cead a thabhairt do dhaoine atá ag iarraidh a gcuid chlann a thógáil leis an Ghaeilge a bheith ábalta bheith ina gcónaí sa Ghaeltacht. Ciallaíonn sé sin go gcaithfear dul i ngleic leis an fhadhb thithíochta i gceantair Ghaeltachta.

There are elements of the new Our Rural Future strategy that are welcome, particularly the commitments to rural enterprise, community development and the regeneration of towns and villages. However, there is a considerable gap between the Government's ambitions for rural Ireland and its willingness to systematically provide the infrastructure and amenities that rural communities need. One of my main concerns is the extent to which the Government has come to depend on the unpaid labour of volunteers to provide essential community facilities. Across my constituency of Cork East, I meet extraordinary people who spend countless hours fundraising, preparing grant applications and navigating planning processes for basic community amenities. There is something seriously wrong with a system in which providing a playground or community centre depends on a handful of volunteers having the time and expertise to pursue it. Some communities have well-established voluntary organisations with substantial fundraising capacity. Others, including communities that are largely made up of newly arrived young families, do not. The Government should not be allocating investment according to how effectively local volunteers can compete for funding. We need predictable multi-annual investment based on population need that takes account of disadvantage, remoteness and existing gaps in amenities. This system also reinforces an outdated clientelist form of politics, where community groups spend years lobbying for funding and, when a grant is finally approved, the local Government TD arrives for the photo op with the oversized cheque. Public investment is presented almost as a favour bestowed on a grateful community rather than something determined through proper planning and an objective assessment of need. People should not have to spend years campaigning for sports facilities, reliable water, public transport or action against dereliction. On housing, the strategy recognises the importance of enabling people to remain in, return to and establish their lives in rural communities, but where are the specific housing delivery targets for rural towns and villages between now and 2031? Young people are being priced out of the communities in which they grew up. Meanwhile, derelict properties are left to rot in our towns and villages. Castlemartyr in east Cork is a particularly striking example. It is a beautiful heritage village whose main street has been disfigured by long-standing dereliction, much of it associated with properties owned by one family. How can one family be allowed to retain control of so many neglected properties while the wider community pays the price? Their deterioration damages Castlemartyr's architectural heritage and restricts opportunities for housing, business and tourism. Why have the statutory powers vested in the local authorities to tackle dereliction not delivered meaningful results? If property owners can leave buildings deteriorating indefinitely without effective consequences, we will continue losing the character and vitality of rural Ireland. We need proper enforcement, effective levies and compulsory acquisition where owners persistently refuse to act. On water supply and other basic services, residents in Ballyhooly, near Fermoy, have endured serious water supply problems for over a decade. Low water pressure, amounting at times to a loss of supply, has left households struggling with everyday essential tasks, including showering and washing clothes. We are talking about a reliable supply of water to people's homes in 2026. Despite repeated remedial works by Uisce Éireann, residents are still waiting for a lasting solution. The rural strategy promises modern and resilient water infrastructure. What use is that commitment to Ballyhooly residents without a funded programme and a date by which their supply will finally be reliable? The extent of Government neglect is extraordinary when communities are still campaigning for services this basic. My third major concern is rural public transport. Local Link has transformed daily life in some areas but in substantial parts of my own constituency it has never developed into a meaningful regular service. For somebody travelling to work or college, attending medical appointments or just participating in community life, an occasional bus is inadequate. For people without a car, particularly older people, disabled people and young people, the consequence is often deepening isolation. The strategy commits to completing Connecting Ireland and further expanding Local Link. That is welcome but where is the minimum standard of public transport provision that every rural community should reasonably expect based on population need? The National Transport Authority should produce a funded plan identifying underserved communities, the routes they need and delivery dates. I welcome the strategy's recognition of the diversity of rural Ireland and its commitment to inclusion. Too often, self-appointed representatives of rural Ireland suggest that certain opinions and traditions are more authentically rural than others. Concern about climate change, nature conservation, river pollution or animal welfare can be portrayed as an attack on rural communities. Having grown up in the countryside myself, I find it particularly galling to be told that caring about nature somehow makes somebody less authentically rural. Many of us developed our appreciation of nature precisely because of where we grew up and our connection with the land. We also need to stop blaming individual farmers for environmental destruction when so many have been locked into a system that rewards ever greater intensification. Farmers face rising costs, volatile markets and agricultural policies that have too often treated hedgerows, native trees and wildlife habitats as obstacles to productivity. There is a different way forward. Hedgerows Ireland has proposed rewarding farmers for protecting and improving hedgerow quality rather than simply measuring their presence, while the excellent BRIDE Project in east Cork brought farmers together to restore biodiversity across the River Bride catchment demonstrating what can be achieved through co-operation, practical support and payments linked to environmental results. We should build on these initiatives, supporting farmers to earn a decent living while restoring nature, protecting water quality and developing more sustainable agriculture. Rural Ireland includes people of every background, profession and outlook. The Government's commitment to inclusion must be reflected in how investment is distributed, particularly to disadvantaged and isolated communities. The real measure of this strategy will be whether people can find a home in their community, access reliable public transport, turn on a tap and expect water to come out, and enjoy the basic amenities that give them a decent quality of life. Rural Ireland does not need more romanticising, political gatekeeping or praise for its resilience. It needs serious systematic investment in the everyday foundations of a decent life distributed fairly across communities.

Ireland is probably quite unusual in that no matter where you are born, be that in the middle of the city or in a large town, you are only a generation or two away from rural Ireland. Many of us have family or community connections even if we do not live in rural Ireland ourselves. The face of rural Ireland has changed quite significantly over the last number of years. There has been some positive change, as there has been across the country but, in some ways, there has been change that is quite regressive. My colleague mentioned sustainable agriculture and the intensification of agriculture we have seen over the last 20 or 30 years in Ireland. That is hugely problematic for those communities the Government is trying to make vibrant, strong and resilient. In order to do that, we need to take another look at agriculture and how it has been forced into developing into a more intensified system than is positive for the community. If you go into any supermarket in this country looking for vegetables or fruit, the first thing you will notice is that most of it is coming from overseas. It is coming from the UK. There are apples from Fiji and New Zealand. Those sections of the supermarket are a pure illustration of how broken agriculture is in Ireland and how much we need to do to make it more secure, more resilient and better able to meet the needs of the communities that survive on agriculture and the farmers within those communities. We import 83% of our fruit and vegetables, many of which we could and used to produce in this country. We hear all the time how food secure Ireland is - I think we are in the top 1% or 2% of countries when it comes to food security - it is a really lazy narrative because it does not show what it pretends to show. In fact, if our food supply lanes were shut down in the morning, we would be surviving on beef and dairy, and that is the reality. While there are positives, and there is a huge economy is exporting beef and dairy, what we and what previous governments have done is turned our backs on the more traditional sectors like the fruit and vegetable sector. In the 1990s, we had 600 producers. We are now down to 70. Alarm bells are ringing about how food insecure we are. There is a huge piece of work to be done to look at our farm and agricultural sector and reform it in light of not just climate change but the global instability that we are seeing. We are not doing that work, and I ask that the Minister participates in it and raises it with his colleagues.

I welcome the opportunity to speak today on the publication of the Government's new strategy, Our Rural Future 2026-2031. I welcome this five-year strategy which sets out an ambitious and positive vision for the future of rural Ireland. It recognises the importance of our towns, villages and rural communities and, importantly, the need to ensure that people can continue to live, work, raise families and prosper in the communities they grew up in. As a Deputy representing Cork North-West, I know only too well the enormous contributions that rural communities make to our country. We have strong agricultural traditions, local businesses, thriving community organisations, sporting clubs and a tremendous volunteer spirit. These are the foundations of rural Ireland and deserve continued support and investment. The new strategy contains 34 high-level commitments supported by an action plan with 234 practical measures and timelines. I particularly welcome the fact that this is a whole-of-government strategy. Rural development cannot be the responsibility of one Department alone. It requires co-ordination across Government with investment in infrastructure, housing, transport, enterprise, education, health and community services. I wish to highlight a number of areas where the strategy can make a real difference to communities throughout Cork North-West. The commitment to thriving rural towns and villages is particularly welcome. Towns such as Kanturk, Millstreet, Macroom, Newmarket, Charleville and Buttevant, and the many smaller villages throughout my constituency, have enormous potential. We must continue to tackle vacancy and dereliction, bring unused properties back into productive use, support town centre regeneration and encourage new businesses to establish themselves in rural locations. Our towns and villages should be places where people want to live, shop, work and socialise. I particularly welcome the proposed strategic rural investment initiative to help unlock major capital projects at a regional level. It is important that this funding is not just accessible to large projects but also to local authorities and community organisations with worthwhile projects that can make a lasting difference. Supporting rural employment and enterprise must also remain a central priority. Agriculture continues to be important to the economy of Cork North-West but we must also support diversification, food production, rural tourism, small businesses and new forms of employment. The expansion of broadband has already transformed opportunities in many rural areas across Cork North-West, and over the next week or two, we will celebrate the completion of the rollout of fibre broadband in rural Cork. It also allows people to work remotely, establish businesses and access services without having to leave their communities. We must continue to build on that progress to ensure that rural communities have the connectivity needed to compete in a modern economy. I also want to welcome the emphasis on a high-quality public service and essential infrastructure. Balanced regional development cannot happen without infrastructure on housing, wastewater, water, public transport and local amenities. In many villages throughout Cork North-West, the availability of wastewater treatment remains a significant barrier to the development and population growth. We must address these infrastructure deficits if we are serious about encouraging people to settle in our rural communities. Finally, I welcome the strategy's commitment to sustaining our rural environment. Our farmers, landowners and rural communities have a central role to play in protecting biodiversity and improving our water quality.

I welcome the publication of the Our Rural Future strategy. It is a really important document at this time. From where the Minister comes from, I know he understands rural communities really well, and people understand that as well. Picking out the rural regeneration and development fund, RRDF, in particular, which has brought the Minister and I up and down the Roscommon-Galway to Boyle, Ballaghaderreen, Ballagh, Roscommon town and Monksland, as well as to An Chistin, the project in Castlerea. In Boyle, the An Ríoga project involved the conversion of the old Royal Hotel, a derelict site in the heart of the town. It is the start of a regeneration of that town and it includes working and art spaces, and a new library is now coming along there. It is really important that we provide sites in towns like Boyle, Castlerea, Monksland and Ballinasloe for people to work remotely in, so they can live in their towns and close to their communities because the heart of our communities is our agriculture communities. While many of our agricultural enterprises in the west might be considered marginal and supported by jobs that people to commute to, it is important that commute is as short as possible. Sustaining rural farming is also hugely important as a social exercise because it is the backbone of our rural communities, and it is extremely important that we do so. In terms of the regeneration of housing, the croí cónaithe scheme has been hugely successful in county Roscommon and east Galway. At almost every site, crossroads and boreen, we see old houses being brought back into life. It is hugely encouraging to see young couples setting up in rural Ireland where there were thriving communities before and which are being regenerated but we need to press that on. It is extremely important that the children of farmers will have the opportunity to build on their land providing they satisfy the adequate planning authorities to again keep our communities strong and resilient. Transport is a huge issue in rural Ireland. We have a situation in Ballygar in east Galway where if someone wants to go to their local hospital, Portiuncula, they have to get a taxi into Roscommon town, and trains to Athlone and then Ballinasloe for a 17-mile journey. We need to develop the rural link transport network. It is extremely important to maintain people in rural areas and to allow them to use public transport to get to college, hospitals and health clinics. In addition to that, I have met traders, such as publicans, in Roscommon town, for example, and they are having difficulty around attracting trade in at nighttime because there is no taxi service. We need to have a look at our hackney licence laws to encourage people who would take a hackney licence and provide services. We should also extend the pilot programmes for the Local Link buses which are very successful in places like Sligo, Longford and Buncrana. Wastewater treatment plants are extremely important to enable villages and communities to grow. Many communities have been left unable to develop over the past number of years, so I welcome that investment.

I welcome Our Rural Future 2026-2031 and its focus on building stronger rural communities. As a Laois TD and a member of the Oireachtas committee on social protection, rural and community development, I believe that rural development must remain a national priority. We must ensure that rural Ireland has the jobs, services, investment and infrastructure needed to thrive. Three priorities must underpin this strategy. The first is supporting rural enterprise and employment. Laois has enormous potential, a skilled workforce, strong rail connections, a strategic location on the M7 and M8, and the proximity to major population centres. We must translate these advantages into jobs, investment and opportunity for our young people. How? By supporting small businesses, attracting new investment, developing local enterprise and expanding remote working opportunities. Agriculture must remain at the heart of rural development. Family farms are vital to food production, rural employment and local businesses. Farmers must be able to remain economically viable while meeting environmental targets. Agriculture and rural development policies must work together. The second thing is improving access to essential services. A thriving rural community needs more than just jobs. It needs reliable public transport, accessible healthcare, childcare, education, and affordable and appropriate housing. Access to these services allows older people, people with disabilities and those without a car to live independently and stay connected in our communities. Social inclusion must be central to rural development. That means tackling rural isolation and disadvantage, investing in community transport, strengthening local health services and community facilities and supporting voluntary and community organisations. Third, it means revitalising our towns and villages and creating opportunities for the future. We must maximise regeneration through LEADER, town and village renewal and the rural regeneration and development fund. Revitalised town centres bring vacant properties back into use, improve public spaces and strengthen local amenities but regeneration must go hand in hand with greater housing availability, improved infrastructure and sustainable population growth. Young people should be able to live and raise families in their own communities with access to affordable housing. We must also protect our rural environment and natural resources, maintain viable family farms, support climate action and create green jobs and new opportunities for rural communities. The success of Our Rural Future 2026-2031 will depend on delivery, not promises. Clear actions and accountability must be backed by adequate funding, strong co-ordination between the Departments and engagement with local authorities.

We need to see tangible results, more jobs, better services, more vacant properties brought back into use and more vibrant towns and villages. I want to see rural communities-----

A strong rural Ireland means a stronger Ireland.

I welcome the opportunity to speak on Our Rural Future 2026-2031 but I must be frank. We have seen a habit form with Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael in this Government and the previous one of rolling out grand strategies where the follow-through has left us wanting. As someone who grew up in rural Ireland and who is raising a family in a rural community, this strategy is particularly relevant to me and my family's life. I would strongly welcome increased support and resources for rural communities but I am worried this plan is, at best, half-hearted. Look at how Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael have stood by while the issues affecting rural communities have only worsened. Our schools are being put into increasingly difficult positions as they lose teachers and SNAs because they fall slightly below the student threshold. That threshold is the same whether it is a school in Ballyhale or Donnybrook. That is deeply unfair. The inflexible school transport limit has ensured that scores of children just over the limit are denied school transport, putting their parents in an impossible position. Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael's handling of rural infrastructure has ensured parts of Kilkenny have endured years of drinking water bans. Irish Water's track record across Kilkenny has been shocking. It has squandered public funds and what does the Government do? It gives the CEO an €118,000 pay rise. Communities like Castlecomer have endured water restrictions and drinking water bans for years. Garda numbers across Kilkenny and Carlow have still not reached previous levels, despite our population greatly increasing. Rural communities are not looking for the Minister to reinvent the wheel. It is clear what is required. As I said at the start, I have a vested interest in this strategy succeeding. I am raising four boys in south Kilkenny and I want them to have opportunities to stay, live, work and raise their own families in the community that raised them. Our bus service, Expressway route 4, has been stripped in half. This happened this year, the year the Government brings out this plan. What does that say? I would clearly hope the Minister takes the time to talk to communities across rural Ireland and asks them what future they see for themselves and the next generation because too many of these plans are being drafted by people who have little to no experience of rural Ireland. I encourage the Minister to get out to the people who live in the heart of our rural areas. They need to have their say because what we have seen is not giving us any hope at all. We have not seen it.

I welcome the opportunity to talk to the Minister this evening on behalf of the Labour Party about the Government's Our Rural Future policy statement. As the Minister knows, I made a public consultation submission where I highlighted a number of improvements the Labour Party would like to see, especially around the area of transport and housing. From the outset, I welcome any commitment to address the number of issues that are impacting rural communities throughout the State like many of those in my own area of Kildare South. The five pillars are all areas that nobody will disagree with as being vitally important to rural Ireland. However, this policy statement is unfortunately very light on a real commitment to multi-annual funding which would allow many of the organisations mentioned here tonight to plan for the future. For too long, many rural communities across Ireland have been left behind by their urban counterparts when it comes to investment. Not for the first time, the Minister will hear me raise the need to modernise our community rural halls and bring back into life those rural schools that have been left behind. I acknowledge the community centre investment fund but with any investment comes the need to ensure these vital centres in our rural communities can continue to operate. For example, Brownstown community hall on the edge of the Curragh is struggling due to the high increase in insurance and heating costs and it needs help. That is just one example of what is happening in my own area. These rural communities need assistance with the high increases in overheads just to keep the doors open. Once again, I want to put on the record of these Houses the success of many of the Rural Link transport projects that have made such a difference to many rural communities. In many rural areas, they have been a real life game-changer, allowing rural residents to connect with their local major urban areas for employment, GP services, shopping and social gatherings, to mention a few. We need to see a realignment of the school transport system with these Rural Link routes to provide the school transport that is missing and needed at this time in many rural communities. Joined-up thinking and joined-up travel times could make a difference. However, we now see many of these new Rural Link routes stopped or put on the long finger. Once again, I raise with the Minister route 893, which is the service to the rural areas of Suncroft and other rural locations and villages like Nurney and Kildoon. It is a game-changer for those living there. When will we see this service begin? We are still waiting on the updated rural planning guidelines to allow those born in the countryside to live there and support the many rural schools, pubs, shops, parishes and sports clubs that are on their knees at the moment. Too many genuine rural people are being told to go and live in larger urban settlements and this needs to stop or rural Ireland will not have a future in many places. Our rural older population needs special and continued support. I have mentioned rural transport already but they also need to see the security of additional Garda patrols in their communities and an enhanced community alert system. They also need a grant for security lighting and house alarms, something I have raised with the Minister in the past. This would prevent the many and growing terrifying incidents our rural population is subjected to. While so many communities in Kildare South continue to see more and more housing development, we are seeing a lack of social infrastructure to live with this. Examples are clubs in Kilcullen where they have not got the additional pitches to support this additional housing. We need to see investment on this. For many rural dwellers, their commute to work is now nothing short of mental torture. We need to provide a real right to remote work as we ramp up our public transport. Rural Ireland is very important to the Labour Party. Many of our councillors, TDs and Senators live there, including myself. We will continue to advocate for those who live there. I look forward to working with the Minister further on these important matters.

I welcome the publication of Our Rural Future and echo the words of my colleague, Deputy Mark Wall. Rural Ireland is important to the Labour Party. Rural Ireland does not need another strategy full of promises; it needs delivery. I represent communities across north Cork and I know their enormous potential but I also see challenges facing families, businesses and young people every day. On public transport, in recent months, I have submitted parliamentary questions about services in Whitechurch and Mourneabbey, in particular. In Whitechurch, new homes are being built and the population is growing, yet residents are still looking for adequate public transport. In Mourneabbey, I have raised the need for proper Local Link connections and requested one specific link in Mourneabbey. I would appreciate if the Minister could intervene on that. Local Link has been a tremendous success, but we need genuine rural transport guarantees with affordable reliable services connecting our communities. We must also support rural pubs. I welcomed the contribution towards rural pubs in budget 2027, but we must ensure further support is found for our shops and small businesses in rural Ireland. These are at the heart of our communities, and rising costs are threatening their survival. As the Labour Party's spokesperson on education, I also want to highlight school transport. No child should be disadvantaged because of where he or she lives. We need universal, free, school transport with adequate capacity to meet demand. Looking at my hometown of Mallow, some €4.1 million has already been spent progressing the long-awaited Mallow relief road, yet we are still waiting for a planning application. That project demonstrates why rural communities are frustrated by endless delays. As I said, I welcome this publication but it needs delivery.

I take this opportunity to raise an issue with the Ministers related to local authorities in rural areas. This Friday, I will meet the chairperson of Tipperary County Council, my colleague Councillor Fiona Bonfield, whom the Ministers have met previously, with Councillors Louise Morgan Walsh and Michael Chicken Brennan. We had to have a crisis meeting in the past couple of days on where the council is going from a budgetary point of view. Tipperary County Council, one of the largest councils in Ireland, is heading into its worst ever budgetary situation. It needs intervention from the Government. The cost of inflation for the roads budget in Tipperary this year is €3.8 million. The cost of doing business is €750,000 extra. The Uisce Éireann transition cost is €900,000, and the 40% cut in centralised management charges for water services is costing €675,000 because it runs out this year. That is deeply unfair. The costs related to concentric cabling are increasing every year. Over a number of years, it will cost the council up to €15 million. This is a local authority that is maxed out on the LPT, at 15%. It is increasing rents and rates and may have to cut services. This is not sustainable. Tipperary is a massive county. There is going to have to be some form of intervention. I have never seen a local authority management team come to me in the manner in which it has on this. Our meeting has been pulled forward to allow me and others to raise this issue with the Ministers. Intervention is needed because without it, the situation will be stark for all Tipperary County Council members and its executive over the coming year.

In this strategy, the Government is announcing dozens of commitments and hundreds of actions for rural Ireland, but rural communities in the likes of my county, Wexford, have heard many promises before. As we know, people judge policies by what is delivered on the ground, not by the number of commitments listed in a document. Rural Ireland does not need another plan; it needs delivery. The Government talks about balanced regional development, yet major public investment continues to be concentrated around Dublin and the greater Dublin area. In places like Wexford and other rural areas, businesses, commuters and workers contribute just as much per capita to the economy but frequently find themselves at the back of the queue when it comes to infrastructural funding, public transport improvements and economic development projects. It would appear that when Dublin needs investment, the Government writes a cheque, but when the likes of County Wexford need investment, the Government writes a strategy. The strategy speaks about building resilient communities, yet when I proposed a Bill a short time ago in this Chamber to give a real right to remote work to assist people living in rural Ireland to work there, it was rejected outright by Government. Now, it is talking about creating digital hubs. Post offices have faced untold pressure to survive, rural Garda stations have been decimated, local bus services remain inadequate in many areas and accessing healthcare often means lengthy travel, and that is if you are lucky enough to secure the services of a GP. The Government cannot tackle isolation while withdrawing or failing to support the services that keep rural communities connected. Community resilience starts with keeping services in communities, not just talking about them. The real test of Our Rural Future is not in how many commitments are printed in a Government document. The real test is whether a young family in Gorey, a farmer in Enniscorthy, a pensioner in New Ross or a small business owner in Wexford town can see a tangible improvement in their daily lives. Right now, many people in Wexford would say the Government's actions simply do not match its words.

I welcome the strategy, Our Rural Future 2026 to 2031. However, if I cast my mind back ten years, there was a dark cloud hanging over many rural communities that did not see a future and had no hope. The establishment of the committee for rural affairs and the Department and Minister for rural affairs has made a real and material difference in how we invest and improve rural Ireland for the better. I have heard other speakers talk about pubs and post offices, and there is no doubt that consumer behaviours and attitudes are changing. It is important, however, that we give them a hand up rather than a handout. In fairness to the Government, there have been supports for post offices and pubs. It is a model which, if we get it right, can be extended to other businesses on main streets in villages and towns across the country. Several of the different funding schemes and the hundreds of millions that have been allocated were mentioned, as was their importance to community groups led by local authorities in many instances. However, one particular scheme that was not referenced in the document is the local improvement scheme. In County Offaly, we are waiting up to 12 years for some applicants to receive a local improvement scheme. I ask the Minister to include this in the strategy and ensure there is a greater level of financial commitment to it in future. I acknowledge and thank the Minister for visiting County Offaly and for the €2 million community centre in Moneygall and the €15 million library in Edenderry. However, there is a real problem regarding volunteers. The Minister referred to volunteer fatigue and an over-reliance on a small number of individuals in every community. I could name them in nearly every community. I acknowledge Birr Tidy Towns, in particular Bernie Flannery and Bernie Taylor Lynch, the team who won a gold medal in the recent Tidy Towns competition and all the groups in the county. We need a promotional campaign around civic engagement and responsibility to encourage the next generation to get involved. I will raise the cost of community projects versus public sector expenditure. In Edenderry, we have a lot of projects on the go. Last week, we got a quote of €30 million for a local swimming pool through the local authority. The local committee made a few phone calls and a provider from outside this country is coming to meet it this Thursday. It will do it for half that price. There is something seriously wrong with our public procurement process when tenders are coming in at double the price for community projects. I also want to address insurance. Huge progress has been made with the likes of Tidy Towns. At one time, municipal grants that were coming in were being paid out with the other hand to insurance companies. IPB Insurance then stepped into the breach and now covers Tidy Towns groups. That model needs to be extended to other registered PPN groups and facilities. I ask the Minister to look at the community employment scheme. It is a measure that needs to be secured into the future. Local authority enterprise parks, working with the IDA and Enterprise Ireland, need to be addressed to allow businesses to scale because many are simply not viable now. We must also see further housing development in smaller villages, unlocking opportunity for smaller builders and embracing energy and national digital infrastructure. There is a huge opportunity here for community benefit funds but we need to get it right. We need to ensure that where energy is invested in, we see lower prices in our energy bills.

I warmly welcome the Government's updated Our Rural Future policy spanning from 2026 to 2031. I commend the Minister for the ambition and confidence this Government has shown in the future of rural Ireland. As somebody who was born and raised on a farm in County Galway, I know the greatest asset rural Ireland has is its people. There is a community spirit in rural Ireland that is irreplaceable and undeniable. It is something you truly have to be a part of to understand. It is the volunteers, sporting organisations, community development committees and neighbours who look out for one another. That spirit is the foundation upon which we must build our real future. We have already seen the positive impact of Government investment through the rural regeneration and development fund, the town and village renewal scheme, investment in broadband and the revitalisation of our communities, the investment in sports capital and the investment in our community centre investment fund. All of these primarily end up in rural communities. This new policy builds on that progress, with commitments to stronger public services, rural enterprise, better connectivity and resilient communities. I will highlight three priorities I believe must be central to its delivery. The first is public transport. Across Galway East, in communities like Athenry, Tuam, Headford, Gort and Loughrea, we need better bus and rail connections, more frequent services and greater capacity. Public transport should connect rural communities employment, education and opportunity. We have seen marked progress in these domains in the last few years but there is a real opportunity to expand the rural link services across east Galway to capture more communities. The second priority must be investment in our villages and community infrastructure. Our community centres, village streetscapes, footpaths and public spaces are the lifeblood of rural communities. As the Minister will be aware, many schemes throughout east Galway are struggling to get participants. That is good because it is a sign of the number of people in employment but, at the end of the day, we need people who will be able to help maintain our villages. We need to look at the structure of village maintenance as it cannot always be left to Tidy Towns committees. There has to be a structure in place for regular maintenance. Some villages are thriving and succeeding in getting through that, while others are being left behind. There is a balance to be struck there. The third priority must be to provide an opportunity for younger people to build a future in rural Ireland. I want young people across Galway East to have the opportunity to build a home, find meaningful employment, raise a family and thrive in the communities where they grew up. This means that housing, serviced sites, wastewater infrastructure and practical planning policies that support rural communities are essential. So often, young people go for planning permission only to be turned down and some planning policy to be referred back to them as to why they failed, without there having been an engagement at the start from the planning authority to explain how they should qualify. Even in the case where they may have had a pre-planning meeting, it is not a case of the authority asking how it can give planning permission. It is often a case of it asking how it can refuse it. There needs to be a shift in mentality in our local authorities. I am immensely optimistic about the future of rural Ireland. I have seen the impact investment has had in rural Ireland and I am excited for the future and to see what comes next.

The Death of an Irish Town is otherwise known as No One Shouted Stop. I was thinking of John Healy's seminal work today, a book that has never been as relevant as it is today, other than when it was first written almost 60 years ago. Rural depopulation and emigration are once more sucking the lifeblood of rural Ireland, with our young people being pulled toward our congested capital city or the emigrant plane bound for Sydney or Perth on the other side of the world. Dublin-centric policies are causing the managed decline of rural Ireland and some GAA clubs are even facing extinction. Some 78% of GAA clubs are in rural areas with declining populations. Gaeltacht communities, which have represented the essence of Irishness for 2,600 years, are being sidelined and absolutely decimated, scriosta amach is amach. Ní bheidh Gaeltachtaí ann a thuilleadh má tá siad bánaithe ag an imirce nó murar féidir leis an aos óg maireachtáil agus teaghlach a thógáil iontu. We cannot have Gaeltacht communities if the young, native Irish-speaking population cannot build or live in them. Bheadh sé sin tragóideach. Hearts are being ripped out of many rural villages which are being stripped of essential services. Young Irish people cannot buy, build or rent a home, and many cannot get planning and live locally in rural Ireland. Sadly, seven out of ten young people recently surveyed said they did not see a future for themselves in Ireland. This has to change. The success of this new rural strategy will be judged on whether young Irish people can remain in order to live and start families in rural communities. Sin é. Otherwise it is meaningless. We also need roads that do not wreck our cars, policies to safeguard family farms and support those of us who are reliant on home-heating oil, basic public services, including affordable public transport, school transport for all and pubs that can survive. We need banks and post offices, so that a family in the west or in Wicklow or Wexford is treated the same as a family in Dublin. In terms of wastewater, small developers are often prevented from building desperately-needed housing due to a lack of wastewater treatment plants. I could mention several areas where this is happening, for example, Aughrim in County Wicklow or Ferns and Camolin in County Wicklow, to name but a few. In the case of Camolin, the lack of housing means a lack of families and fewer children to sustain the local primary school. This was being discussed when I started on Wicklow County Council in 2014, and the situation has not developed any further, which is unbelievable. That is symptomatic of a wider broken and bureaucratic system. We need action. We need easily accessible grants to regenerate our towns, village centres and rural Ireland, and a system that looks beyond repurposing neglected hotels and community centres as IPAS cash cows for the local speculator. In short, we need to complete revival of rural Ireland.

This debate on the future of rural Ireland is important, but for years this issue has been debated and plans have been brought forward in various reports and reviews. However, the problems still persist. Missing from many of the programmes and plans is the need to create functional and vibrant rural villages. The approach of various Governments through the years has been somewhat disjointed. Villages continue to lose vital services such as shops, pubs and post offices. There are not enough people to sustain the core of villages. Improving rural areas in counties such as County Laois, for example, would mean bringing life back to villages like Ballacolla, Camross and Ballybrittas, where wastewater treatment services are needed. If we want to retain local shops, pubs, schools, etc, we have to have people. That is the missing piece. We can come up with these Mickey Mouse schemes every now and then to put a sticking plaster on the problem but if you have people, you have businesses. This means having affordable sites and serviced land to buy, along with social and private housing. Villages need to be places where people can walk to school, the shop, the pub, the church or their local employment office, if needed. The Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage has a target of 11,200 homes in Laois in the next seven years. That means a population increase of one third in the county - about 33,000. However, not all development has to be in Portlaoise. The services in Portlaoise are stretched beyond their limit. The sensible and sustainable approach should be to increase population in our villages. This means improving wastewater treatment and water capacity. It means having that land serviced for small modest housing schemes. Ballybrittas does not even have a wastewater collection network despite the fact that it is almost beside the motorway. This offers the prospect of regenerating these villages and bringing life back into them. Other villages such as Ballylinan Camross and Ballycolla do not have any or are short of wastewater infrastructure. We need housing to sustain services. We also need to improve the linkages between villages and towns with bus connections. That needs to be improved. Good work is being done but it needs to be expanded. We need EV charging points, which we not have in wide strips of Laois. In short, we need to get people back living in the villages. That is the solution here.

As a rural TD, I am, of course, very interested and invested in support of any policy development in rural areas, particularly in Donegal. We need our rural towns and communities to be places of opportunity for people. Right now, that is not happening. We need our rural towns to be prioritised, particularly when it comes to tourism. We want them to be places where people can live; work; thrive; reach their full potential; grow socially, mentally, physically and personally; and build fulfilling lives going forward. Too often, young people in rural Ireland do not see their hometown as a place of opportunity. Rather they see it as a place that is limiting them and holding them back and that attitude needs to change. The lack of significant investment is reflected in many aspects of life in Donegal from limited public transport to poor broadband to poor road infrastructure. In particular, the north west is years behind. We are the forgotten county, yet tourism has the opportunity to grow in Donegal if it is invested in. Tourism will grow if we invest in it and take the chance. There is an urgent need for greater investment, particularly in Donegal. While destinations such as Killarney have become established tourism hotspots, they are increasingly experiencing capacity pressures. This highlights the importance of developing alternative destinations and spreading the benefits of tourism to other areas and alternatives such as Finn Valley or Malin Head. The Malin Head visitor plant management plan was rolled out in 2018 but has still not progressed. This needs to be progressed but for it to be progressed, Donegal County Council will need funding. Funding these projects is vital. I know the Minister of State has been to Finn Valley in the past. I ask him to come and see the potential in Inishowen and the islands over the next year. Donegal can thrive just like Kerry but we need investment.

Any discussion or debate on the future of rural Ireland has to be welcomed and is obviously very important. While rural Ireland is a fine place and a great place in which to live and work, we obviously need to identify issues that need to be addressed. There are various issues across rural Ireland that pop up in every constituency, including south Tipperary, which would be described as a rural constituency. The various services that give rise to difficulties would be housing; water services; vacancy and dereliction; the number and the resourcing of An Garda Síochána; rail and road transport; and industrial development and jobs. The poor situation in south Tipperary with regard to water services is fundamental and is hugely difficult. Many of our schemes are under boil water notices. In Tipperary town, 5,500 consumers have been on a boil water notice since 11 February. The Ardfinnan regional water supply scheme has been on a boil water notice since 7 June and has just come off a "do not consume" notice. Glenary in Clonmel and Newport in the north of the county have just come off of a boil water notice. There are significant difficulties. This is something that very many TDs in this House both Opposition and Government have raised on an ongoing basis. Irish Water is not fit for purpose and should be abolished. It should never have been established but it should certainly be abolished and the services returned to the local authorities, which looked after these services in the past. I refer to the question of vacancy and dereliction. Pushing the derelict site tax out to June 2028 is not good enough, particularly in relation to large-scale derelict areas. We have one of those in Market Place in Clonmel. It has effectively been a ghost town for the past ten years and even prior to that was the subject of an auction. I think a developer has been sitting on that for years. The derelict site tax should be brought into being immediately with regard to large developers that are sitting on properties. We also have a problem with gardaí right across the constituency. The new Garda districts, which in our case means Clare and Tipperary, are simply not effective and we have fewer gardaí now than we had in 2024, so that is something that needs to be dealt with. Other issues include transport, for example, the western and eastern sections of the N24 and rail services from Limerick to Waterford through south Tipperary. Those are some of the issues that need to be dealt with.

I welcome the publication of Our Rural Future 2026-2031 and the Government's commitment to supporting rural Ireland. Rural Ireland is essential to our national identity. It is where our communities, culture, traditions and local sporting organisations have been built over generations. I welcome the five strategic pillars outlined in this policy, particularly the commitments around thriving rural places, high-quality public services and resilient rural communities. However, as a TD for County Kerry, I want to highlight the very real challenges facing rural communities in north and south Kerry, particularly the Iveragh peninsula. We need to be honest about what is happening on the ground. In September 2025, just 83 children started across 12 primary schools in the Iveragh region. That is a stark indication of the demographic challenges we face. We are also seeing the impact on our GAA clubs, which have been the backbone of rural communities for generations. I acknowledge the work of Joe McCrohan, chairman of the South Kerry Board; Michael Murphy, demographics officer with the Kerry County Board; and former Kerry footballer Bryan Sheehan from Cahersiveen, who have all highlighted the challenges facing our clubs and communities. I first arranged a deputation as a member of Kerry County Council back in 2024 where these three men came before the meeting of Kenmare Municipal District and outlined the issues facing our county, in particular the Cahersiveen-Iveragh region, which historically has been ravaged by forced immigration and now rural depopulation. Bryan, Michael and Joe were subsequently interviewed by Marty Morrissey on "Six One News" in regard to this matter. We are now seeing clubs having to amalgamate and field underage teams. These amalgamations are not happening because communities want to lose their identity or independence. They are happening because there are simply not enough young people living in these areas and that should concern all of us. When the rural school struggles to maintain its numbers, when a GAA club cannot field a team and when young people cannot see a future in their own community, we have to ask ourselves what more can be done. I previously called on the Taoiseach and the Minister for rural and community affairs, Deputy Callerary, to establish a dedicated task force to address rural depopulation in Iveragh, south Kerry. I believe that call is even more relevant today. We need a co-ordinated approach involving Departments, Kerry County Council, local communities, the GAA and other organisations that understand the challenges facing rural Ireland. I would also like to see south Kerry considered as a pilot area for targeted interventions to tackle rural depopulation. I have called for this previously. Housing must be central to that approach. I have called for the exploration of a community-led cluster-type housing model working in partnership with local GAA clubs and community organisations. I sincerely hope that the new rural planning guidelines go far enough. There are plenty of young couples out there who are in the position to build and get a mortgage big enough to build a house. They should be given every opportunity to do so. We need to look at how we can utilise local assets, address planning and infrastructure barriers, and create opportunities for our young people to build their lives in their communities where they grew up. I welcome the commitments in this policy around rural housing, the local improvement schemes, the expanded Local Link services, digital connectivity and the new strategic rural investment fund. These are all very important measures but we must also ensure we deliver tangible outcomes for the communities that need them most. The policy contains 37 high-level commitments and I ask that the demographic decline is addressed especially.

Cuirim fáilte roimh phlean an Rialtais don tuath, Ár dTodhchaí Tuaithe. Tréaslaím leis an obair atá déanta ag an Aire, an Teachta Calleary, ag an Aire Stáit, an Teachta Buttimer, agus ag feidhmeannaigh na Roinne. Rural Ireland is varied and is intertwined and connected with our large towns and cities. There is no one solution to solve the challenges of rural Ireland. You would have to go to each town and parish to identify the issues and challenges they face. Some places are very strong. Again, a lot of that depends on location. My own area of Moycullen, Killannin, Oughterard, Bearna, Oranmore, Claregalway and Athenry are strong urban areas with their own challenges due to the pressures of growth but have the advantages of being close to Galway city, which has a strong influence and strong job opportunities. Other areas are more isolated and have their own particular challenges. We got good news this week about the Galway city ring road. This will have such a positive benefit to the whole region, not just Galway city but also the county, including Connemara, in increasing connectivity and opportunities for further investment as well as tourism opportunities. We want to see that project built as quickly as possible. We have seen the benefits of the Moycullen bypass, the western rail corridor and further plans for that, which will be of huge benefit to the region with the investment in rail services there. We look at the investment, an infheistíocht, atá déanta agus atá ag dul ar aghaidh in Inis Oírr. Tá sé sin fíorthábhachtach. Tréaslaím leis an obair atá déanta ag an Aire, an Teachta Calleary, agus ag an Rialtas air sin. Tá fadhbanna fós ar Inis Meáin ó thaobh shábháilteacht an dá chaladh atá ann. Cén plean atá ag an Rialtas maidir le hinfheistíocht ar Inis Meáin? Teastaíonn plean go géar. There is also investment in other piers, such as Cleggan Pier, which has a hugely important role in accessibility to Inisbofin as well. The rural broadband plan is working. It allows for remote working or for people to work from home. I acknowledge the Government’s investment in that. We want to see completion of that next year. The croí cónaithe scheme has been hugely beneficial with people renovating run-down cottages and houses and in providing opportunities for people to acquire a house in rural Ireland. There is investment in sports capital. I was hugely involved in the community centre fund with the then Minister, Heather Humphreys, and Deputy Calleary, in relation to maintenance, refurbishment and new community centres. Rural Ireland has challenges but all in all there are also many positives for the area.

Cuidím leis an méid atá ráite ag mo chomhghleacaí ó mo Dháilcheantar féin maidir le cúrsaí céibhe. Tá sé luaite sa phlean mar sprioc áirithe go mbeidh muid chun an ceann ar Inis Oírr a chríochnú. Cuirim fáilte roimhe sin ach feicim sa phlean chomh maith go bhfuil dhá chéibh i gContae Mhaigh Eo luaite, ceann ar Oileán Chliara agus ceann ar Inis Toirc. Ba bhreá liom sprioc mar sin a fheiceáil sa phlean d’Inis Meáin. Ar mhaithe le sábháilteacht na ndaoine atá ina gcónaí ann agus iad ag baint úsáid as seirbhísí báid, ba cheart go mbeadh céibh cheart ar Inis Meáin. Mar is eol dúinn agus mar atá luaite ag mo chomhghleacaí, tá taighde ar bun faoi láthair ag an gcomhairle contae ar an mbealach is fearr chun sábháilteacht a chruthú agus a choimeád do mhuintir Inis Meáin agus iad ag baint úsáid as seirbhísí báid. Ba bhreá liom a fheiceáil sa phlean seo go mbeimid ag cur leis an obair sin agus ag cur leis na céibheanna eile atá luaite sa phlean chomh maith le céibh Inis Meáin. Agus cúrsaí Gaeltachta ardaithe agam, ba mhaith liom focal nó dhó eile a rá maidir leis an nGaeltacht agus a todhchaí. Labhraíonn an plean seo faoin ról lárnach atá ag Údarás na Gaeltachta agus faoin obair chun tacú le heacnamaíocht réigiúnda na nGaeltachtaí. Tá an t-údarás ag déanamh an-obair air sin ach ceapaim go bhfuil deis eile ann don Ghaeltacht. Baineann an deis sin leis an gcuspóir atá in Acht na dTeangacha Oifigiúla (Leasú) go mbeidh inniúlacht sa Ghaeilge ag 20% d’earcaithe nua don earnáil phoiblí faoin mbliain 2030. Dar liom, is deis é seo don Ghaeltacht. Tá dúshlán ag an tír an sprioc sin a bhaint amach ach níl muid ag baint úsáid cheart as na ceantair Ghaeltachta chun é sin a bhaint amach. Ba cheart dúinn breathnú ar na seirbhísí Stáit agus smaoineamh ar chuid acu a dhílárú go ceantair Ghaeltachta. The policy the State had previously of decentralisation was a very successful one in terms of the development of public services outside of the Dublin region and the creation of industry and jobs in regions through public services. We should look at our Gaeltacht regions to see if we can use the opportunity of the available workforce in those regions that would help us to achieve the 20% target for those employees in the public sector to be proficient in the Irish language by decentralising some services there. We do face a significant challenge. This would be one way for the challenge to be overcome quite easily, with the technology involved now and the availability of broadband throughout rural Ireland. This is an opportunity we should examine. I would like to mention one other issue before I finish, that of water. Around 10% of households in the country are still not connected to a public water supply or a group water scheme. We need a scheme like the national broadband plan to extend public water services to those households. It is a public health issue as well as one of the availability of water.

Rural Ireland is the backbone of this country. The people of south Kildare are proud of their rural communities, their heritage and way of life. Families have lived and worked in these areas for generations and we have a responsibility to ensure that those communities not only strive but thrive. Unfortunately, this strategy does little to achieve that goal. It is a polished document full of good intentions and worthy aspirations but it fails to address fundamental challenges facing rural Ireland today. The two core issues that were raised during the consultation process were housing and generational renewal, yet both remain largely unaddressed. The Government chose to ignore the reality on the ground and created another fluffy policy document that will just gather dust. The reality is simple. People can no longer afford to live in the communities where they grew up. Young people are priced out of the rental market and buying a home is completely out of the question for the vast majority of people. What rural Ireland needs are measurable targets for affordable housing, serviced sites and the refurbishment of derelict and vacant properties. We have to follow through with delivery and not another strategy. Until we see a step change from the Government in this regard there will be no rural future to speak of. This plan does not commit resources to tangibly improve the public services that people are crying out for in Kildare South, such as childcare places, primary care and out-of-hours GP services. South Kildare has some of the lowest garda numbers per capita. Water infrastructure in Derrinturn and Allenwood is at breaking point. Narraghmore and Moone have lost their post offices in recent times. The strategy will not deliver for these communities. There is no concrete commitment to expand the oversubscribed school transport scheme, nor is there any further investment in special educational placements to allow children with additional needs to attend school with their siblings in their local area instead of being shuttled across towns and sometimes counties to attend school, and that is if they can attend school at all. While little in the document is objectionable, little in it inspires confidence. It provides no real hope for communities struggling to retain their population, attract young families or maintain essential services. A genuine rural future means affordable homes, accessible public services, thriving local communities and dignity for our older people. This document falls well short of that standard and is further evidence of how out of touch the Government is. Caithfimid todhchaí ár gceantair tuaithe a chinntiú. Ní chabhróidh an straitéis atá os ár gcomhair anseo leis an aidhm sin mar go bhfágann sé na ceisteanna is tábhachtaí ar lár, is iad sin maoiniú seirbhísí poiblí agus cúrsaí tithíochta. Leanfaidh bánú na tuaithe ar aghaidh fad is a theipeann ar an Rialtas tithe inacmhainne, áiseanna cúraim leanaí, cúram sláinte poiblí agus áiteanna scoile do chách a chur ar fáil.

This is another rural plan; let us hope it delivers. How much time do I have?

I thank the Cathaoirleach Gníomhach. What will make this any different from what has come before, which is a lot of talk, promises and non-delivery? That is a serious matter. People would like to get to the nuts and bolts of this and where the money will be spent. I remember the regeneration fund which was in place in the past. We had a project in Schull. There was a meeting here and pictures were taken of all the committee members. A senior Minister was sitting inside. His seat was in trouble, the money was shifted that night back to his constituency and the poor people who had come up from Schull lost everything. That is the kind of game that goes on here in relation to funding. It is not equally given out. The Minister of State was not there so I am not pointing the finger at him, but I know it for a fact because I saw the pictures and the carry-on. I rang the committee and was told we had it, which was fantastic, but the committee did not have it in writing and the next day, when the announcements were made, Schull was not in the game or at the races and the people were stunned. That was a serious error because it led to a big downfall in west Cork and projects in Schull. It was an off-season project that would have worked all year round on the pier in Schull. However, we are where we are. The problem we have now is that tomorrow we will be talking about the Short-Term Lettings and Tourism Bill. I would like to think there was something in this that might salvage a lot of the businesses the Government is going to destroy tomorrow evening when it sets the train in motion. I have spoken to the Taoiseach about this on numerous occasions. He promised me that the planning aspect of it would not be included. Now we have seen the Bill. We have combed through it and had public meetings. There were full houses in west Cork of people who deliver short-term lets like through Airbnb. The Government will destroy their businesses within two years with the new planning guidelines that are coming in. What has the Government got in this document to solve that? The best thing I have heard of it doing is that it will put a tax on beds to make sure that if tourism does not go down, the Government will take it down. I do not understand what its plans are. We need to get to the nuts and bolts of this. Will there be funding for rural roads? Earlier I brought up with the Taoiseach the N71, the Innishannon bypass, the Bandon bypass, the northern relief road, the southern relief road, the Bantry bypass, passing bays in Castletownbere and promised funding being withdrawn. It is in the public domain that funding for roads that needed work has been withdrawn. It looks to me as though some parts of rural Ireland will get some of this money, maybe, but the decent parts of rural Ireland will be forgotten. We will be back to square one on the wastewater treatment plants. We want to grow villages like Goleen, Ballydehob, Rosscarbery, Shannonvale and so on, but we do not see the money being invested there in the wastewater treatment plants. People see raw sewage in the tide. If that was a farmer, he would be closed down straight away, but when it is the State it is different. A blind eye is turned to it. In farming and fishing, too, we have a serious crisis. I spoke today about a fisherman who went out in his trawler on five days last week and it cost him €22,850 in fuel. That is game over as far as he is concerned because it is not sustainable. The price of fish we buy in the shop will not go up that much. The Common Agricultural Policy, CAP, will have serious and devastating consequences. We are leaders in Europe at the moment and we are not able to lead the ship to safety. We are not able to lead farming into safety. Instead, CAP is being cut by 25% while in the last ten years the money that farmers pay to buy a lorry load of ready-mix or fertiliser has doubled. Everything has doubled and now the Government wants to cut farmers' money by 25% because the rest of Europe wants arms to go to war. What the hell is going wrong in Europe? Europe is starting to turn against the people it should protect. I will turn to greenways, as I have the floor. There will be a public meeting on 20 November in Ballinascarty and we will see what kind of public representatives we have in west Cork and whether they will turn out in strength to support people who do not want to wreck their farms. I know a farmer in Ballinascarty who has been told the walkway will go through his farm. He explained that there are farm sheds, calf sheds and milking parlours, and he was told not to worry about them, that they would be shoved sideways. Jesus, what is going on in this country? What is wrong with taking away a ditch at the side of the road to make a walkway? What is wrong with going to meet James O'Mahony in Kilcrohane, who put the most famous walkways around the world, or Jim O'Sullivan in Beara? They did not destroy anyone's farm doing it. They took away ditches, but they did not go down the middle of a farm or put a 5 m tar roadway in the middle of a farm. All of that has to stop, including me.

The people of rural Ireland do not want any more glossy documents, targets or reports. We need action and delivery from the Government. I will raise three important issues. The first is the western rail corridor. I welcome the fact that work has begun on clearing the Athenry to Claremorris line, but it needs to be delivered on time. I would appreciate if in his reply, the Minister of State could talk about the delivery timeframe for it. I was deeply disappointed to hear the Taoiseach intervened in support of the greenway between Collooney and Bellaghy because if this goes ahead and the greenway proceeds, I fear we will never see a railway north of Claremorris. That is a huge concern for so many community groups and politicians across the political divide in Mayo. The second issue is planning. We cannot have a rural Ireland if people do not live there. In the past two years since my election, I have sat with constituents who have come to me with planning documents because they were refused planning permission. Some applicants were refused on the basis of local need. Incredibly, one person who attended the local national school, whose father attended the local national school, whose children are attending the local national school and who is seeking to build in the catchment area of the local national school, has been refused planning permission on grounds of local planning need. This is happening right across the country. The statements on planning need to happen. They need to be implemented. We need to address the planning system and adopt a permissive attitude to planning. We cannot have a situation where we are looking for grounds for refusal. We have to change the attitude to planning. It is important. If we want to have rural communities and sustain towns and villages, we have to allow people to live there. We need to address the planning attitude. It must become permissible to build. We should be looking for reasons to give people planning permission to build on family land. The third issue is that in rural Ireland we have significant difficulty with home care packages. It is a reality that we have an ageing population and I know families and elderly people receiving home care packages under which a different individual attends every day. We must address the lack of housing for older people in our communities.

If rural Ireland is to survive, it needs a population. It needs to have people who are able to work from home. Increasingly, the jobs will be hybrid ones, especially in the farming sector. We need to encourage people to diversify from agricultural practices. We have for too long focused on beef and dairy, and with the way the global situation is changing, they may not be sustainable. I have mentioned that our own food security is hugely threatened and, therefore, Government policy needs to push more for self-reliance in producing homegrown tillage products. There is huge potential if we allow people to build in rural areas in properly sustainable homes using wind and solar. It is a win-win for everyone. We should be encouraging people to repopulate the countryside to keep the schools and post offices open.

I welcome the publication of Our Rural Future 2026-2031. I commend the Minister of State, Deputy Buttimer, the Minister, Deputy Calleary, and the Department on this ambitious plan. Its five pillars are grounded in reality. Its 34 commitments and 234 actions and timelines will help to ensure its delivery. As the Minister of State knows, Mayo is blessed with remarkable natural beauty, innovative businesses, strong farming communities and vibrant towns and villages that consistently demonstrate resilience and ambition. We have places with strong identities, proud traditions and extraordinary community spirit, which is often shown in the community future plans and through our voluntary groups. Today I think of people like the vivacious volunteer, disability advocate and all-round community person Avril Graham, whom we sadly lost this week. I think of her family, her colleagues across the various organisations she was involved in and her friends. May she rest in peace. The challenges of rural life in Ireland are very real, including the lack of water services. I think of residents in Newport, who are still waiting on their wastewater treatment plant. I think of frequent power outages. I think of the islanders in communities like Achill. I think of the struggles with transport, the need for upgraded roads like the R312 from Erris to Castlebar and the fact that Mayo is facing double-digit school closures. That is why we need to continue to invest in our rural towns and villages, expand digital connectivity, strengthen transport services and improve essential infrastructure. I welcome the recognition in this plan that communities in rural areas are different. The needs of the islanders on Clare Island are very different from those of the residents in Ballinrobe. In these rural communities, sometimes smaller investments can make the greatest difference. I think of TFI Anseo in Achill, which I know the Minister of State is quite involved in. It has surpassed 11,000 journeys in its first year. I think of the roll-out of the national broadband plan to Inishturk, which has literally bridged the digital divide across the ocean for its 50 residents and is now enabling enterprise, education and a host of opportunities. I want all rural parts of Mayo to have a vibrant community, vibrant community centres with digital hubs, safe footpaths and roads, and reliable transport. I want young people to be able to build on their own family land, something that has come up repeatedly today. Of course, they need to adhere to policies, but we need to guide them and help them rather than see them engaged in what can be a costly, drawn-out process that can often end up with a negative result. I want accessible and affordable childcare. In rural parts of Mayo, too many parents, often women, are unable to return to their careers due to a lack of childcare. Mayo has really ambitious plans like the breakwater in Roonagh, the suspension bridge at Downpatrick Head and the regeneration of the Westport convent site, which is well under way. Last week, we saw work start on 18 age-friendly homes. Of course, we really need to see the strategic development zone at Ireland West Airport. I look forward to working with the Minister of State and the Minister to see many of these delivered while ensuring we are not overwhelming our volunteers. They need consistent and accessible funding and less bureaucracy.

I welcome the opportunity to speak on Our Rural Future. I commend the Minister, Deputy Calleary, and the Minister of State, Deputy Buttimer, on their work on it. I am very proud to have lived my whole life in a rural part of Kilkenny. I know that if a plan like this is executed properly, it can mean a whole lot for towns and villages like mine. As Fianna Fáil spokesperson for rural affairs, I believe this plan has potential to address the most pressing issues facing rural areas. I want to set out what I would like to see delivered in rural areas, particularly in my constituency of Carlow-Kilkenny. Everybody deserves to feel safe in their homes and in their communities. We need more gardaí on the streets of Carlow and Kilkenny. People on the ground are telling me that they want to see more gardaí on the beat, particularly in our smaller towns and villages. The funding in the budget for an additional 1,000 new gardaí next year is a really important start, but we need to see a greater geographical spread of these resources. People want to see a garda on their main street. It helps the community to thrive when people know their local garda by name and it makes them feel safer where they live. More than 2,200 pubs in Ireland have closed in the last 20 years, the majority of them in rural areas. When the pub in a village closes, people lose a vital place to meet. In particular for older people living on their own, that is a huge loss. I have been pushing for support for rural pubs since I was elected and I was absolutely delighted to see €15 million allocated in this year's budget. The details have to be right and the money has to go to the rural pubs that are struggling most. Keeping these doors open is one of the best ways we have of tackling isolation, a key aim of Our Rural Future. I look forward to working closely with all those stakeholders to come up with a scheme to benefit all. I also welcome new Government guidelines to make it easier for people to build one-off rural homes in their locality. These changes are the biggest overhaul of our rural housing policy in more than 20 years. The guidelines strike the right balance between supporting rural communities and ensuring vibrant towns and villages while protecting the character of our countryside. The reality is that someone born in a rural area, living in a rural area or working in a rural area should be entitled to build in that rural area. As well as saving our pubs, there are other ways that this plan can tackle isolation. Farming can be a lonely life, and I welcome the new pilot to tackle isolation in farming communities. Our community centres matter just as much. Making the community centre investment fund permanent means these centres can plan ahead instead of scraping by from year to year. I also urge every sports club in Carlow and Kilkenny to get their applications into the community sports facilities fund before 26 February of next year because every club that gets funding is another place for people to come together in and we need that in rural areas. This plan commits to publishing progress every year. I will be keeping a very close eye on it to make sure it delivers for Ireland, but more importantly, for the people of Carlow and Kilkenny.

I will follow on from the previous speaker and start with rural planning, which is important in dealing with the housing challenge. I have worked through four country development plans in Wicklow and made many changes. I welcome the proposals brought forward by the Minister of State, John Cummins, which should come into force in January. Many aspects are making it difficult and we must make changes. Social or economic need must trump views and prospects in planning decisions. Individual councils can insert this in their development plans, as I did in Wicklow. We need to identify hamlets to allow clustering of houses in rural areas and broaden the qualification for building in hamlets to include nearby villages and towns. Housing need criteria should not be applied to someone who owns a house in an urban area and wants to move back to their rural area. On multi-unit housing, there should be more support to make it economically viable to build estates in towns and villages in rural areas. The development levy waiver scheme meant that some developments that were not economically viable to develop suddenly became viable. We should look at reintroducing this waiver; otherwise, the only housing developments that can happen in these places are social housing. I know that Local Link has been discussed a lot this afternoon. While Local Link buses are a great addition to rural areas, I ask that the timetables be reviewed so that they can be availed of by more people. I am particularly talking about connectivity, for example linking in with other buses that go to third level colleges. Many of our student population travelling to college could avail of the service if it was better aligned to existing college-going buses or linking the timetables with train timetables. The 132 bus is the only public transport from west Wicklow to Dublin. The Minister of State is familiar with it. The promised increase has still not materialised. The proposed 199 link bus from Glendalough to Bray has still not happened and hopefully it will in the new year. Another subject has not been mentioned today and is not widely known around Ireland. It is known only in Wicklow and the south Dublin uplands. It is called the PURE project. PURE stands for protecting uplands and rural environments. It is an environmental project established to combat illegal dumping, fly-tipping, in the Wicklow and Dublin uplands and was officially launched in September 2006. It has been a massive success and has hugely reduced the amount of rubbish seen on the sides of rural roads. It also brings together members of the communities who help to pick up this rubbish. I ask the Minister of State to consider rolling this out across the country. The rural regeneration and development fund, RRDF, is a great scheme but it is not working as well as it should be. It needs to come with funding for a dedicated person in the council to oversee. In my experience, nobody is taking responsibility and nothing is getting done. Money is not being spent. This loses value over time because of inflation. It is incredibly frustrating.

I looked through the five pillars earlier. I want to reflect on those pillars when I make my comments about what urgently needs to happen for our inshore fishing communities. There are about 2,000 inshore fishermen throughout the State who have licences and a tradition. That tradition dates back hundreds of years in some families. It is a noble tradition. It is an integral part of the culture and the identity of not just our coastal communities but also our country. I have toured the country as Sinn Féin's spokesperson on fisheries and the marine. I have met fishermen at piers and harbours across the State, and what one man said is burnt into my mind. He broke down in tears as he told me that he had to tell his son that there were not the resources for both of them any more and that he would have to fish alone. The tears flowed as he reflected that he would be the last of his family, the members of which have fished for hundreds of years, to stay on the water. It is that serious. When I started out as my party's spokesperson six years ago, there were very few fishermen around the coast who talked about financial assistance, because that is not what they are about. They are about fishing. The truth is that with the cost of fuel, the cost of bait and the unpredictability of markets, they just cannot sustain themselves any more. There have been welcome initiatives in recent times, including the basic income for the arts scheme. That is a welcome scheme. We need more money and for more artists to be able to avail of the scheme. The National Inshore Fishermen's Association is proposing a similar scheme for fishers. That scheme would reflect the integral cultural heritage that is so important to the Irish people. It would keep them at sea, but they need some financial assistance to do that. We have been assisting farmers for decades through the Common Agricultural Policy. We can do this. I appeal to the Minister of State and to the Government to come forward with a scheme to assist inshore fishermen. Sinn Féin brought forward a proposal in its alternative budget. Approximately €35 million is what it would cost. That is not a huge amount of money to keep all of our active inshore fishermen on the water, as well as contributing to environmental sustainability. There is so much to the scheme that has been proposed. If we are serious about Our Rural Future's five pillars and plan, we have to bring forward a scheme to financially assist our inshore fishermen and to contribute to sustaining everything that they and they families have done for hundreds of years.

Hear, hear.

After years of lecturing rural Ireland, Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael have finally realised something, namely that the people who built their parties no longer trust them. Rural communities have watched decision after decision being imposed on them and being presented as both inevitable and the price of progress. For years, Government policy was shaped around a political consensus that treated rural concerns as obstacles to be managed. Farmers, motorists and communities dependent on employment in the area of peat were told that they were the problem. The Green Party was allowed to run the show in the previous Government. There is no serious focus on the midlands - as a TD for Offaly, that is of great concern to me - despite it being the region that carried the heaviest burden of the so-called just transition. In fact, the word "midlands" is not even mentioned in the document we are discussing. We know now that the Government's territorial just transition plan did not directly assess employment prospects in County Offaly, which was the county that bore the greatest brunt of the unjust transition. It is the county that is most affected by the end of peat harvesting and peat-fired generation. Thousands of workers were told that new opportunities would replace what was lost. Yet, years later, the Government still cannot tell us how many equivalent permanent jobs have actually been created in the midlands. The document also avoids another uncomfortable truth. Over recent years, rural Ireland has been subjected to a relentless stream of policy proposals aimed at reducing livestock numbers and restricting agricultural activity. Farmers listened to discussions about herd reductions, methane targets, rewetting programmes and land use. The Government did not listen. Suddenly, however, it is changing its point of view.

Many young boys and girls cannot get planning permission to build houses for themselves in order to put a roof over their heads. This is happening in areas like Killarney, Killorglin, Kenmare and Dingle. In many places, they cannot get the basic right to planning permission. Draft proposals have been put in place by the Minister. They are supposed to come into force next year. I hope that happens, because many people are depending on it. They have a right to get planning permission, or at least to have a fair chance of getting it. As stated, they cannot get it at present. This is one of the most important things. If we do not have people in rural Ireland and do not have houses for them to live in, we are not going to have rural communities.

I thank the Minister of State for his helpful visits to Tuosist GAA Club, Réalt na Mara, the national school, Pobalscoil Inbhear Scéine and other places during the summer. Soft talk by any of us is no use whatsoever to rural Ireland. We have a serious problem with depopulation. I thank the people and their voluntary groups, such as the GAA clubs, the small schools that are keeping life in rural areas and South Kerry Partnership, North and East Kerry Development, for their efforts. I refer also to the small businesses and people involved in self-catering establishments that we will be discussing over the next number of days. Rural planning is an important issue. I welcome the initiatives that have been taken in that regard. I refer to small shops, pubs and post offices. It is important to enhance those businesses in order to keep them alive and help them to grow.

I am delighted that the Minister got this portfolio. I compliment him on his work so far. He mentioned the community hubs. I hope he will accept my invitation to visit Ballylooby in south Tipperary, where the community is undertaking work on an old pub as a community hub project. The members came together. I hope he will come and see for himself. South Tipperary has benefited from some schemes relating to rural areas in the past. They are good schemes. I know the Minister of State is a practical man. He is a rural man, so he understands what is involved. I look forward to giving him a céad míle fáilte to Tiobraid Árann theas. Beidh mé ag caint leo. I hope he meets the committee in Ballylooby. It is an energetic and ambitious project, and there is great energy among the community to try to resurrect the pub. They had three pubs and a shop there. They have nothing at all now - gach rud imithe. They have ambitious plans to restore that old pub as a cafe and as a centre for the community to operate out of. Beidh fíorfháilte roimhe.

Ar dtús báire, gabhaim buíochas le gach Ball a ghlac páirt sa díospóireacht iontach seo chun an tuarascáil maidir le Ár dTodhchaí Tuaithe a phlé. I welcome the debate. I thank all Members for their contributions. The essence of the debate is that we can agree on many different strands of where we have been, where we are and where we will go. I will work backwards for a moment. I apologise that I will not get to reply to all the Members' contributions. Deputy Danny Healy-Rae referred to people in rural Ireland. He is right. We need people in rural Ireland. I look forward to visiting him and Deputy Michael Healy-Rae in Rathmore in a couple of weeks' time, because I grew up on a small rural farm with my grandparents on the Cork-Kerry border. I understand the importance of what the Deputies are talking about. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae is right. Soft talk is no good. We need to have a plan. The plan is here. Depopulation did not happen yesterday or today; it has been going on for a long time. The Minister, Deputy Calleary and I met with the GAA demographics committee in south Kerry. Deputy Cahill referred to it earlier. This is not the plan that was conjured up for a glossy magazine, as Deputy Lawless said. We are continuing the work done when we created the Department, recognising the importance of rural Ireland. The Minister and I, and the whole of government, are committed to making rural Ireland a better place to live, which needs to happen and which is why the Minister of State, Deputy Cummins, is drawing up the draft statement and guidelines on Gaeltacht housing and planning. Everybody who says we need more people living in rural Ireland is correct. Second, it is about work. Some Members who referenced rural Ireland are no longer present but I make the point that the majority of Enterprise Ireland and IDA Ireland jobs are outside of Dublin. To be fair to the majority of Members present, I have met them on visits to constituencies. They are committed advocates for their areas, working to pursue development of people and communities. As Minister of State with responsibility for community, I see first hand the gargantuan spirit, an fuinneamh, the energy, the enthusiasm and the creation of community that is so important. Linked to that is the piece we have been doing around being able to have people work, raise a family and run a business. This is not a glossy magazine. There are commitments and actions that are accountable and there will be a mid-term review. Some 84% of the previous plan was implemented. Some will not like me saying this but the national broadband plan was delivered on time and in budget, connecting Ireland. The 400-plus remote working hubs give people a hybrid working model where they can choose to work one day, two days or whatever number of days and then commute. Deputy Gogarty spoke about this and he is dead right As Minister of State with responsibility for rural transport, I recognise the importance of rural transport. I will give Members some figures. There were 11 million passengers under Connecting Ireland last year, a 225% increase in six years, while TFI Local Link provided 6.97 million passenger journeys last year, a 20% increase. With the Ministers, Deputies O'Brien, Canney and Calleary, I am about connecting people to services and adding new routes. Deputy Wall referred to school transport. We are in discussions to change the delivery model of school transport to ensure we have it linked to rural transport. I am fully aware of the points made by the Deputy - I commend him on his contribution - and Deputy Kenny on the importance of rural transport. Deputy Daly referred to the rural hackney licence. We have changed it. I modified that earlier this year. I am looking to get more people to become drivers and to transport people. The piece around the pub in the budget came from the conversation about the centrality as a hub of the community. The new planning guidelines are central to having people living and raising their families in rural Ireland. It is about consistency of approach, as we heard from Deputy Timmins in the context of planning. It is the overhaul of rural planning guidelines that Deputies Mattie McGrath and Danny Healy-Rae spoke about. It is about ensuring people with a connection to rural Ireland remain there. Post Covid, we have seen an increase in the number of people back on the roads stuck in traffic. I gave Members the figures independent figures showing the importance of rural transport. I will certainly take up Deputy Ward's invitation to Donegal. My good friend, Deputy Mac Lochlainn, and I have a long-standing commitment to go back to Donegal. Regarding the fishers, the rural social scheme provides the opportunity for low-income farmers and fishers to undertake work in local communities. I refer Deputy Mac Lochlainn to page 100 of the document in terms of the actions around what he spoke about. I share his point of view. He is right to raise it and he has articulated it well about inland fishing. I will happily sit down and talk to him further about it, even though it is not my area of responsibility. He is right to raise the point and he has raised it repeatedly. I see first hand in his county, Donegal, the importance of that connectivity. All of us in this Chamber are proud of rural Ireland. I am optimistic about rural Ireland. Given the day that is in it in the United States of America, I will paraphrase Bill Clinton: we are always thinking about tomorrow and the importance of tomorrow for people. That is why part of what we are doing is developing and increasing our commitment to rural Ireland. Deputy Butterly spoke about the importance of transport and connecting people. My ambition and motivation as Minister of State with responsibility for rural transport is to connect people to people and people to place. We speak about ending social isolation. Deputy Butler, the Minister of State with responsibility for mental health, with the Minister, Deputy Carroll MacNeill, has put in huge work. We have had conversations across Departments about enhancing the transport offering. We are ambitious. The priority for us in government is to deliver and to have more people working, staying and living in rural Ireland. The debate has been very clear. We are, as a House and as politicians, vested in our local areas and that Kickhams pride in the local place we see every weekend in our sporting and GAA clubs. That is why we need a plan. That is why the document is produced to continue the next iteration of Our Rural Future. It is about addressing the challenges articulated by many Members, which we as a Government face and it is about the core challenges under rural planning, investment in housing and connectivity. It is about continuing that investment and seeking to address the complexities of the challenges. I was smiling at Deputy Lawless's reference to the five pillars. The five pillars are interconnected. They are about a thriving rural place where people can flourish, which means we invest in our towns, as in the example of the RRDF. We have high-quality public services in healthcare and education. Listening to some Members, excluding those present, you would not realise we have never had more teachers, SNAs and investment in schools and in the physical public realm. What we are committed to and have achieved up to now is that resilient rural community. Deputy Clendennen is right. I have not heard from anybody in the debate about the fundamental issue we must all face, whether we are urban or rural, which is how we must address the change in consumer behaviour and attitude. I pose the question: how many people in the Chamber use their local post office? How many go into their bank branch? How many go into their local shops and buy there, as opposed to going online? Government has changed and has supported local post offices. There is much more that unites us than divides us in this report. I thank Members for their contributions. I look forward to us being held to account and to delivering not just a document, but a real plan for the future development of rural Ireland.