Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 15 November 2022
90. Deputy Michael Moynihan asked the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform the status of the implementation of the National Development Plan 2021-2030 and specifically in relation to NSO 3 of the Plan; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [56423/22]
View answerWhat is the status of the implementation of the National Development Plan 2021-2030, with specific reference to NSO 3?
My role as Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform involves setting the allocations for capital expenditure across a number of Departments relevant to this NSO. This objective, as the Deputy knows, seeks to strengthen rural economies and communities. It applies to the traditional pillars of the rural economy as well as those emerging from such developments as improved transport connectivity, national broadband delivery, climate action and rural economic development. The sectoral strategies here include some important policy objectives and projects, such as Our Rural Future, the Town Centre First policy, Food Vision 2030, the Investing in our Culture, Language and Heritage strategy, the Linking People and Places tourism strategy, and the national sports policy. An extensive number of projects are already being rolled out through the €1 billion rural regeneration and development fund, RRDF. As of the end of October the RRDF has allocated funding of €280 million for 191 projects across the country worth a total of €380 million. Examples of this include the Cahersiveen town centre regeneration project in County Kerry and the Cahir town centre regeneration project in County Tipperary. I congratulate the Deputy on the role he played in lobbying and securing funding for the project in Charleville town centre in the recent allocation.
Under the national broadband plan that commenced roll-out in 2020, some 1.1 million people living and working in over 544,000 premises, including almost 100,000 businesses and farms, along with almost 700 schools, will receive access to high-speed broadband. As of the end of October, over 97,000 premises can order or preorder high-speed broadband connections. More than 87,700 premises have been passed and are ready for immediate connection.
I thank the Minister for his engagement with the Charleville community, including Councillor Ian Doyle and the Charleville Chamber of Commerce, back in early September around the application for funding from the RRDF. It is a fantastic project worth €5.2 million and we hope it will be rolled out. There are a couple of issues. All these schemes are hugely beneficial to rural communities across the spectrum. Some rural communities got funding under the town and village renewal scheme and other schemes. Some of them started off two years ago at cost and now they have an allocation but that funding does not meet the cost of what they are trying to do. Is there a possibility of using unspent funding for 2022 to bolster the funding these communities got to give them an extra envelope of funding? It is important, especially for projects we could term shovel-ready that have planning and everything else but which need extra money because of the escalating cost of building.
That is an especially exciting project in Charleville and I was pleased to see it at first hand. I understand it will see the renovation of a number of vacant and derelict buildings in the heart of the town. Charleville courthouse will be renovated into a remote working hub and a currently vacant heritage building on Chapel Street will be converted into a new arts and community centre. In addition, an old HSE building in the town will be converted into the new home of the men's shed and the local snooker club. I again commend the Deputy, Councillor Doyle and others who made a contribution to securing that funding. I understand the Deputy's point about older allocations under schemes such as the town and village renewal scheme and the difficulties presented by the escalation of costs due to inflation. When it comes to individual projects, I ask that there be engagement with the relevant line Minister or that they be brought to my attention. If the projects are shovel-ready, we will certainly examine them and see what we can do.
I thank the Minister. He mentioned broadband. Some of the dates given are in 2024 or 2025 and the roll-out in particular areas has been brought back to 2023. Is there engagement with National Broadband Ireland, NBI, to see whether it can be further speeded up to ensure broadband for rural Ireland? It is the great enabler. There are great prospects for remote working and for companies to set up in rural Ireland, especially when so many people have decided to return to live there because of Covid. We have seen an expansion in our population and it is greatly welcomed. I ask the Minister to use his good offices to try to get us the broadband even faster, especially for areas where the date went back to mid-2023 when there had been talk about them being reached in early 2023. I would appreciate it if he could look at that.
I assure the Deputy that as a Government we recognise the importance and centrality of good broadband connectivity in rural Ireland. It is the great enabler in so many respects. In a post-Covid - if I can use that phrase - environment of remote and hybrid working, there are huge opportunities for towns and villages all over Ireland. The Minister of State, Deputy Ossian Smyth, as the line Minister with responsibility for the national broadband plan, has very regular engagement with all of the key stakeholders, including NBI and also Eir, which is a supplier to NBI. The Deputy may be assured that where an opportunity exists to accelerate the roll-out of this programme, it will be seized upon. There were naturally delays during the period of Covid-19 but every effort is being made by the Department, the Minister of State, NBI and those who work with it to fast-track the roll-out of the plan insofar as is possible. We know how important it is.
