Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 1 May 2014
13. Deputy Éamon Ó Cuív asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government if he will implement all the recommendations of the recently published CEDRA report; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19451/14]
View answer22. Deputy Seán Kyne asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government the next steps to be taken by his Department in progressing the recommendations pertinent to his Department of energising Ireland's rural economy, the report of the commission for the economic development of rural areas; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19567/14]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 13 and 22 together.
My colleague Minister Coveney and I established the Commission for the Economic Development of Rural Areas (CEDRA) in September 2012 to recommend ways to support the future economic development of rural Ireland . The Commission was charged with producing a report that would inform policies and strategies to support the economic development of rural Ireland. The central element of the work of CEDRA was an extensive public consultation process involving over 100 meetings with the general public as well as interested stakeholders and rural development experts. The Commission also conducted an extensive research exercise and I am confident that the information that has emerged from this process provides a valuable insight into how Government can support the future economic development of rural areas.
The Taoiseach launched the CEDRA report on 14 April 2014. The report contains 34 recommendations that are far reaching and interdepartmental in nature and in this context will require significant consideration and consultation. The complex nature of the department and agency interactions recommended in the report will require further examination and in this context I am committed to working together with my Government colleagues to determine the best way forward with regard to the implementation of the CEDRA recommendations. In the interim, the CEDRA report will inform the design of the LEADER elements of the 2014 – 2020 Rural Development Programme.
