Vol. 1031 No. 3
1. Deputy Claire Kerrane asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development if she will provide an update on the development of a rural-proofing mechanism, as outlined in ‘Our Rural Future: Rural Development Policy 2021-2025’; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [62447/22]
I ask the Minister for an update on the development of a rural-proofing mechanism.
This is a sad morning. I offer my condolences to the family of the young Irish soldier who lost his life in Lebanon. Our thoughts and those of the Government are with his family and with the other brave soldiers injured in this attack, their families and their colleagues in Óglaigh na hÉireann. Our Defence Forces' tradition of peacekeeping with the UN is a proud one and these brave soldiers served in that tradition. In serving the noble cause of seeking to build and maintain peace, they put themselves in danger. We should never forget that. This morning is a tragic reminder of those dangers. One of our soldiers has paid the ultimate price in the service of his country and of peace. His family and friends, his injured colleagues and the Defence Forces will have the full support of the Government and the State at this difficult time.
I thank Deputy Kerrane for raising this question. Our Rural Future is the most ambitious and transformational policy for rural development in Ireland for decades. The policy commits to developing an effective rural-proofing model to ensure that all Departments fully consider the effects of significant new proposals on rural communities and better target the particular challenges and opportunities facing them.
Building on a report on rural-proofing my Department commissioned, I also recently hosted the 13th OECD Rural Development Conference, which provided further valuable insight into how the common challenge of proofing is being addressed in other countries. Our objective is very clear. We want to develop a proofing model that is practical and effective and which encourages meaningful consideration of rural impacts at the early stages of policy development. The approach must be efficient and implementable without being administratively burdensome. It has to add value, making new policies and programmes more effective in rural areas.
As part of a phased approach, my officials have been actively engaging with all Departments in recent weeks with regard to rural-proofing and they have identified several areas in which to work collaboratively in 2023, such as on the development of the sustainable tourism policy, the review of the national planning framework and the development of the cross-departmental national hubs strategy. Under this pilot approach, Departments will consider the likely impact of their policies on rural areas at an early stage in their development and, where necessary, adjust the policy to ensure that the rural perspective is incorporated. This policy approach will underpin a broader approach of policy-making through a rural lens to support rural development and to ensure we maximise the opportunities for rural areas to the greatest extent possible.
I thank the Minister very much. It is of course important that we get this model right. The work that has been done to date is welcome. Looking at the international perspective allows us to take the best bits, to look at the challenges faced where rural-proofing models are in place and to ensure that we develop the best model possible to ensure that our rural communities are not adversely impacted by policies brought forward by the Government and by State bodies, which I hope will also be included.
This is a proposal that has now been in place for some time. Can the Minister give us further detail regarding the work being done and how many models are on the table? Can she tell us anything about these aspects? On timeframes, when does the Minister hope to see this in place? I would welcome any information the Minister may have in this regard.
As I said, the development of a rural-proofing model is a key commitment in Our Rural Future and work is progressing well on this. In conjunction with other Departments, we have identified the areas we wish to focus on as part of a pilot project. This includes sustainable tourism, which is an aspect that has a major impact on rural economies. We have, of course, launched the national outdoor recreation strategy. This will have great economic benefits. We just have to look at the Limerick greenway or the mountain bike trail in Kinnitty, and this is just to name a few examples. The national planning framework is another important area that has a major impact on balanced regional development, rural housing etc. Turning to remote working hubs, I launched 300 hubs nationwide as part of the connected hubs network. We are doing much work with the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment, Enterprise Ireland and the IDA to promote these hubs to companies as a landing space for multinationals. Cavan has a good example. There is a remote working hub there and PublicRelay, which is a multinational company, came to Ireland, rented a space there and it is employing 25 staff. This is the type of development that is important for rural Ireland.
I urge that the model be put in place as quickly as possible. I appreciate that much work has been done and that it is important to get this right. It is welcome that the Minister is ensuring that this is being brought forward, because it is extremely important. We have seen the consequences of the failure to not look through this rural lens in respect of the north and north west, which is now a region that is no longer developed in the eyes of the EU. If rural-proofing had been in place, then perhaps we might have had a more balanced approach instead of these low investment figures for the north and north west. When the Minister talks about balanced regional development, we clearly do not have it. Alarm bells should be going off concerning the north and north west particularly. I appreciate that funding is now arriving and that work is under way. This is all welcome, but it shows the consequences of not having something like this in place. It is, therefore, so important that this model is put in place as quickly as possible. I hope we will see this happening next year.
It is important to clarify that there was no downgrading of the north and western region by the European Commission from the status of a region in transition. This region in transition designation was decided in 2018 based on GDP per capita in the region over the previous three years and has been used to calculate European funding allocations for the region from 2021 to 2027. Separately, then, the European Parliament's Committee on Regional Development, REGI, independently categorised the north-west region as a lagging region. It is using a range of other data, such as productivity, and education and skills. What we are talking about here, therefore, are two parallel classifications. Both highlight what we already know, which is that the north and west region warrants targeted support to reach its full potential. I looked at the figures from my Department, and since 2020, it alone has provided funding to this region of €349,749,000. The Deputies and I live in the region and we know how important it is to continue this momentum. It is good that €217 million will be available for investment in the region as well under the European Regional Development Fund, ERDF, 2021-2027.
2. Deputy Paul Donnelly asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development the percentage of projects that are community owned and those that are owned by local authorities which applied for the community centres investment fund; and the number of local authority-owned projects that were awarded funding under the community centres investment fund. [62623/22]
My question concerns the percentage of projects that are community-owned and those owned by local authorities that applied to the community centre investment fund and the number of local authority-owned projects awarded funding under this community centre investment fund.
The Government is fully aware of the challenges facing community and voluntary organisations now and I was delighted to launch the €15 million community centres investment fund earlier this year. The huge interest in this fund shows how important community centres are for communities throughout Ireland. Under the 2022 fund, applications were invited under three categories, with funding of up to €300,000 available. On 12 October, I announced over €12.5 million in funding for 580 successful category 1 applicants. On 8 December, I was delighted to announce a further €33 million in funding for 278 successful categories 2 and 3 applicants. Details of the successful applicants are available on my Department's website, www.gov.ie/drcd.
It is clear that this is a much-needed and appreciated fund for communities nationwide. I was determined to make the process of applying for this funding as straightforward as possible so as not to burden groups run on a voluntary basis. As a result, detailed information is not available for each of the specific headings referred to by the Deputy. Following on from the very significant interest in the 2022 fund, I was delighted to secure €20 million in budget 2023 to run the community centre investment fund again in 2023. It is intended that the 2023 fund will be targeted towards new-build community centres, as well as upgrades and improvements to existing centres. I expect to be in a position to launch the 2023 fund in the first quarter of 2023.
The Deputy will appreciate that many of these applications came from community centres and communities and volunteers on the ground. These were assessed by Pobal. It was not information that we looked for, but we had to ensure applicant groups were constituted properly etc. There was a need to be speedy to get this out to the groups as fast as possible.
I welcome the community centre investment fund. It was something I called for while I was a member of Fingal County Council, as well as something I called for in this House. I hope the Minister enjoyed her trip to Hartstown community centre. I again commend the centre management. The Minister saw the passion and joy on the faces there when this substantial amount of funding was awarded. It will secure Hartstown community centre for the future. I also welcome that Fingal County Council is going to take this centre on board and take ownership of it, while the management of and planning regarding this centre remains in the community. My point is that most local authorities have a substantial fund for their own community centres and have used these funds for many years. This has been done through their own capital funding. A specific group of the centres, though, those not owned by local authorities, do not have access to this type of funding. In future, then, as we move on, can we get a bit more targeting concerning these centres?
I had a great day in Hartstown last week with the Deputy, the Tánaiste and the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration, and Youth, Deputy O'Gorman, and the Minister of State, Deputy Chambers. There was a good turnout on the day. It was a lovely event. I thank all the local volunteers and the committee in Hartstown for the work they put into the application. This was the centre about which concerns were expressed some years ago regarding whether it would survive. I saw the "Save Hartstown" signs in place myself last week, so we are delighted that we have been able to support it. It would be a desperate blow for that community if the centre was not maintained.
Yes.
The grant of €300,000 will ensure that the centre does not just survive but thrives in future. The centre in Hartstown was in the ownership of the diocese, but it is now being taken over by Fingal County Council. This is a good thing. The support of the local authority will be of great help in future. We are happy to work together. I come from a rural area, and the community centres there are nearly all run by volunteers. Few centres are owned by local authorities. I am happy, though, to work together because it is the communities we want to focus on.
Again, there is no issue with the concept of the community centre investment fund. It is a good fund and a substantial amount of money.
What I noticed when I was going through all of the allocations - I will refer to Dublin West and Fingal because I know them better - is that there were a number of Fingal County Council owned, run and managed community centres that also got phase 1 and phase 2. None of them got phase 3, but certainly phase 1 and phase 2. They have substantial capital funding. Not all local authorities have that. Obviously, the Minister wanted to get the first tranche of money out there to people. Is there a way that we can sit down, have a look at this and provide it in a more targeted way so that, for those local authorities that have substantial capital funding, there is consideration if there is money left over that it could go to them, but primarily to those that are non-local authority owned or even local authorities that do not have substantial funding? Some local authorities struggle with funding. Perhaps it could be a bit more targeted and they could then get an even more substantial amount of money.
I see the point the Deputy is making all right. In fairness, the majority of the applications that came in were from community owned ones. There are some local authority owned ones. However, I take the Deputy's point that if there is an obligation on the local authorities to support those centres, they should be honouring that obligation. At the same time, we want to ensure that we have good facilities.
Of course, this was supposed to be originally a €15 million fund but in the end, we announced over €45 million in grants. As I stated in Hartstown, we are all on the same hymn sheet when it comes to supporting our community centres. As with any scheme we have, we will certainly look at it to see can we make it better.
Generally, the feedback has been really good on this scheme. We will engage with everybody over the course of the coming months in paying out the money and if we see issues that need to be addressed, we are happy to do that. Indeed, I am happy to hear any suggestions from here as well. As I have stated previously, I listen.
3. Deputy Seán Canney asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development the level of funding that she envisages providing in 2023 for the local improvement scheme; if she intends to increase the level of funding to meet the demand for this very important scheme for rural Ireland; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [63051/22]
The local improvement scheme is important in rural Ireland. It is popular. There is considerable demand for the scheme. I acknowledge the fact that the Department has over the years since it was reintroduced funded this scheme as best it could. There is considerable demand for it. In Galway alone, we have probably 150 applications in a waiting list and we have stopped taking applications. I wonder how can we increase funding for the scheme.
I thank Deputy Canney for raising this.
The local improvement scheme, LIS, supports the improvement of rural roads and laneways that are not normally maintained by local authorities.
As part of Our Rural Future, the Government is committed to ensuring that the LIS is funded into the future. The scheme makes an important contribution to connectivity in rural Ireland. I am also committed to improving connectivity for rural residents, whether it be access to homes, farms or outdoor amenities.
The local improvement scheme was reintroduced by my Department in 2017 following a number of years with no dedicated funding.
From 2017 to 2022, my Department has allocated over €100 million towards improvement works on over 3,600 non-public roads and lanes benefiting over 16,000 landowners and residents in these rural areas.
I launched the 2022 scheme with an initial budget of €11 million. Over the course of the year additional funding was sourced from savings within my Department and I allocated a further €11 million, effectively doubling investment in LIS to bring the total investment this year to €22 million.
I was pleased, as part of budget 2023, to announce an increase in the base funding for LIS to €12 million.
I will continue to monitor expenditure patterns closely next year in my Department and should savings emerge, I will certainly give consideration again to allocating additional funding to the scheme.
Finally, I am continuing to engage with my colleague, the Minister for Transport, regarding his Department contributing to a jointly-funded LIS scheme so that we can further address the high demand under the scheme.
This is a scheme that Deputy Canney was supportive of when he was a Minister of State in the Department as well. It is an important scheme. Any time that there have been savings in other areas it has gone straight into the LIS scheme. Over the past number of years, we have invested €100 million in it and we have managed to get some of these lists down.
I truly acknowledge the importance of the scheme and the support of the Department and Deputy Humphreys, as Minister, and the previous Minister, Deputy Ring, in reintroducing the scheme.
The Minister hit on the point I wanted to raise. We have active travel. Many of these schemes are used for active travel. They are used for cycling. At the back of my own house, there is a 2 km road which serves bogs and connects two roads and it is used for walking and cycling. In Sylane, we have access to Clas an Aifrinn. It was done over ten years ago under an LIS scheme. It is not only for farmers to get into land. It is creating connectivity. It is creating active travel.
I believe that if the Minister for Transport could see his way to funding on a par with what the Department of Rural and Community Affairs is doing, we would see the list being lifted. It is important that we get co-operation from the Department of Transport on this important scheme.
I agree with Deputy Canney. The Deputy is correct that it is active travel. Where I was reared, it was a lane a mile long. It was very active when one was late for the bus, I can tell the Deputy.
The Deputy is correct because many people use those ways. They are safe places to walk in rural Ireland because it is not safe to walk on the main road.
There are laneways, for example, around lakes or whatever, that people could use. That is a good point the Deputy makes.
The Department of Transport has a large capital budget, far in excess of what my Department has. I have raised the matter with the Minister, Deputy Eamon Ryan, on a number of occasions. I have not had much success yet but I am a firm believer in the saying that if at first you do not succeed, try and try again. I will continue to keep after the Minister, Deputy Eamon Ryan, on this because that Department should be providing matched funding for this. I will raise the good point the Deputy has made with me.
I thank the Minister. I will lend my support to the Minister's campaign with the Minister, Deputy Eamon Ryan. I believe that in rural Ireland - earlier the Minister mentioned a region that is lagging in all of this type of thing - a scheme such as this is popular. There is demand for it. It is efficient. The local authorities are doing a great job in getting the works done.
In the Department, it was always the case that if there was money lying around, it was not left lying around; it was put into the LIS scheme. Coming from zero in 2017, I acknowledge the €22 million that was put into the scheme last year. It is important that we continue that momentum but at Cabinet level there is a need to ensure that there is an emphasis on continuing something that is good, that is working and that is giving benefit to rural Ireland. If the funding was to be doubled, we would get rid of this backlog in a short time. The active travel fund is there sufficiently to allow a small percentage to go to the LIS scheme.
I will give the updated figures on Galway. It has secured combined funding of over €3.26 million over the past two years. Forty-nine roads were upgraded in 2021 and a further 50 this year.
Of course, resources are finite but I am tackling the situation. I doubled the LIS roads allocation originally envisaged in last year's budget and this year alone, I invested €22 million in the scheme.
We are making progress in some counties. I was talking to those in Leitrim County Council the other day and it has cleared its backlog, which is good. Some other counties have got it well down. Like Deputy Canney, there are many lanes in my county of Monaghan, and in Cavan. Those local authorities still have a considerably long list. We are working with the local authorities to get a little more detail around the lists because, as the Deputy will be aware, even at local authority level, even in the municipal areas, there are different lists and different lengths of lists.
4. Deputy Catherine Connolly asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development further to Parliamentary Question No. 102 of 27 October 2022, the status of the new policy for the islands; if the policy and action plan are on track to be finalised by the end of 2022; the timeline for the publication of the new policy and action plan; the date of the last meeting of the interdepartmental committee; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [62557/22]
Baineann mo cheist arís eile leis an bpolasaí atá beartaithe do na hoileáin ar fud ár gcósta. Cá bhfuil an polasaí sin? Cá bhfuil an plean gníomhaíochta? I, along with my colleagues, will follow this up. Where is the policy for the islands? It has been promised over and over. It was to be published by the end of summer and then by the end of this year. Where is it?
I thank Deputy Connolly. I know this is something she is very committed to. As the Deputy is aware, the Government is committed to publishing a ten-year policy on island development with associated three-year action plans. The programme for Government includes a commitment in this regard. As Minister with responsibility for the islands I am determined to ensure the policy is delivered.
The Deputy is aware that an extensive consultation process has been completed by the Department including meetings with island communities and relevant Departments and agencies. The feedback from this consultation process provided a valuable insight into the key priorities, challenges and opportunities for our island communities. The Government's ambition for a national policy and action plan for the islands was set out in chapter 10 of Our Rural Future, the action plan for rural development published in 2021.
The most recent meeting of the interdepartmental committee for the islands, which is chaired by my Department, was held on 10 October 2022. The initial draft document was shared with committee members for their feedback and observations, both in terms of their Department's draft input and the overall document. Officials from my Department have had further engagement with individual Departments and agencies over the past few weeks, including meetings with the relevant local authorities, in order to finalise the actions for inclusion in the plan. This process has now been completed and the draft updated accordingly. I expect a copy of the draft document to submitted to me before the end of the year, with a view to its publication in 2023. Deputy Connolly asks me a great deal about the islands policy. There has been extensive consultation on it. We are nearly there. As I have said, the officials have been engaging with their counterparts on the draft document in recent weeks. It is important that we get buy-in from other Departments. When I get the commitments I can hold their toes to the fire to make sure they deliver. We are nearly there. It is a very important document that has been awaited a long time.
I do not doubt the commitment of the Minister. I do not doubt that she is working very hard to see a policy produced but we have heard this for a very long time. In 2019 I tabled a motion in the Dáil. By comparison, in Scotland we see the population of the islands rising. We see a policy underpinned by legislation and proper resourcing. Here we have promises. I know the Minister has inherited this but we have promises. In the meantime, 70% of the population of the Gaeltacht islands is made up of Irish speakers. There has been a serious reduction in population over the time that various Governments have ignored them. Over and over, the island communities have told us they do not want charity. They have shown us how to have a resilient life. What they want is a co-ordinated plan with proper resources. I understand Deputy Kerrane has tabled a question on the LEADER programme. This directly affects the policy on the islands.
I thank Deputy Connolly. The final draft will be submitted to me by the end of the year. We are very close to the end of the year and I want that draft. With regard to the next steps after that, I hope, if I am still here, to take the draft to a Cabinet committee early in the new year and then to the Government. What is most important is that we have a strong policy at the end of the process. It will be the first island policy in 26 years. It is important that we get it right. I have shown my commitment to the islands. I was the first Minister for Social Protection for many years to increase the island allowance. That was in my first budget in the Department. In Donegal there is a long-running issue with regard to the roads on the islands. I worked with the island community and Donegal County Council. We have the investment there. The roads have been transformed. I was on Arranmore during the summer at the annual AGM of Comhdháil Oileáin na hÉireann. There is positivity among the island community. I want to work with it. I appreciate the urgency of getting the policy sorted and up and running.
I thank the Minister. Without a doubt there is positivity on the islands. What is lacking is positivity on the part of the Government-----
-----notwithstanding the Minister's commitment. What I hear is the Minister telling me she will have the draft plan. The draft plan was there in October. It remains a draft almost three months later. I presume the Minister has not seen it yet and it has not landed on her desk. She is giving a commitment that it will be published. I would like this clarified. When will the action plan be published? There has never been a policy for the islands. There have been interdepartmental committees and any amount of reports. When I tabled the motion in the Dáil I had them all before me on the day. I emphasise that I do not doubt the commitment of the Minister but we need action. We need a policy. In the meantime decisions are being made on LEADER funding about which the island representatives are most unhappy. They were certainly not positive in the audiovisual Room when they made a presentation there six weeks ago.
I thank Deputy Connolly. I will address the issue on LEADER in response to a later question. No islander is putting us under pressure to get this done. What they are putting us under pressure for is a policy document with actions that will deliver and make a difference to their lives. This is what they tell us. I will get the draft submitted to me by the end of the year. The next step will be that I go through it because I have to ensure that I am happy with it. Much work has gone into it. What is most important is that there are policies and actions to underpin how the policies will be delivered. Every Department must buy-in and commit. It is across Government and we have put a large amount of work into working with officials from other Departments. When they say they will do something in various areas, whether housing, which I know is a big issue on the islands, education or health services, I want them to be very clear on what they have to do so we can hold them to account and ensure they deliver.
