Vol. 554 No. 5
1623 Mr. Ferris asked the Minister for Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs in view of the findings by the area development management report entitled The Missing People, that shows continued rural depopulation, the steps he proposes to reverse that trend; and his views on the need for a radical change in Government rural development policy to achieve this. [16574/02]
I was pleased to be asked to launch the report referred to by the Deputy at the National Ploughing Championship on 25 September.
As I said at the launch, the report is a useful addition to the literature on social and economic conditions in rural areas and I welcome it wholeheartedly. I am pleased that the report acknowledges the role that the White Paper on Rural Development and, of course, the CLÁR programme which I launched last year, play in rural policy initiatives. The principal criterion in selecting the CLÁR areas was population decline.
My appointment, with a wide-ranging brief for community, rural and Gaeltacht affairs, is tangible evidence of the Government's commitment not only to rural areas but to communities in general, especially those who are disadvantaged.
The way forward set out in the report deserves careful consideration. I am examining the proposals in relation to my areas of responsibility as Minister for Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs. I intend to consult other Ministers as appropriate.
An Agreed Programme for Government includes a commitment to continue the CLÁR programme, ensuring annual funding, and to consider additional areas for inclusion in light of the 2002 population census results. I have recently initiated that review.
In the meantime, the current CLÁR programme continues to operate successfully supported by the €25 million provided for the 2002-03 period.
In addition, the Leader+ and the national rural development programmes continue, with public funding of €150 million over the 2000-06 period. They support and facilitate the process of rural development, helping to maintain rural communities and to arrest rural depopulation.
