Vol. 573 No. 3
721 Mr. Cuffe asked the Minister for Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs the changes that have been made in his Department's plans, programmes, policies and spending arising from the publication of the Government's national spatial strategy. [25435/03]
The Deputy will be aware that my Department is represented on the interdepartmental committee, led by the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government, supporting the implementation of the national spatial strategy.
In common with other Departments, my Department has submitted an ‘issues paper' to the interdepartmental committee identifying the activities to which implementation of the national spatial strategy is linked, the degree to which those activities currently support the implementation of the national spatial strategy, and the potential for better alignment between these and implementation of the strategy. As the Deputy will appreciate, this is an ongoing process. The Deputy will also be aware that the CLÁR programme, which I initiated in October 2001 and to which a number of new measures have been added in the last year, is targeted at particularly disadvantaged rural areas and thus supports the objectives of the national spatial strategy.
The Western Development Commission is, at my request, developing a strategy for towns on radial routes in the west. This is being undertaken in consultation with the regional and local authorities for the seven western counties of Donegal, Sligo, Leitrim, Roscommon, Mayo, Galway and Clare. The purpose of this strategy is to maximise the benefit to the west of the national spatial strategy, major roads investment, the strategic rail review and decentralisation.
In September last I announced that I have, with the agreement of the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment and the Minister for Arts, Sport and Tourism, commissioned a review of support for enterprise, including tourism in rural areas. In making this announcement, I acknowledged that rural area enterprise and job creation do not currently meet the national spatial strategy's objectives of balanced regional development or of rural regeneration. The review, which will be completed in mid-December, will identify weaknesses or gaps in supports and their structures of delivery. I have also asked the consultants to examine the effects of designating areas as the only ones where official assistance will be provided for establishing certain services and industries.
The national spatial strategy also addresses many of my concerns relating to issues such as rural housing. The Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government is at an advanced stage in preparing rural housing guidelines. I expect to be consulted on the draft of these guidelines in advance of their being issued as a public consultation document before the end of the year.
I can also confirm to the Deputy that I am satisfied that the expenditure programmes operated by Údarás na Gaeltachta, the regional development agency charged with working to promote the economic, social and cultural development of Gaeltacht regions are consistent with the objectives of the national spatial strategy in so far as they impact on the Gaeltacht.
Question No. 722 answered with Question No. 715.
