Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 17 February 2022
10. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development the engagement her Department has had on the development of new regional enterprise plans; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [8652/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraThis question is about the development of the new regional enterprise plans. I understand that nine plans are to be developed. What progress has been made on them and what engagement has taken place? When are the plans to be finalised and when will they be launched?
The development of new regional enterprise plans falls within the remit of my colleague, the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment. A total of nine plans are being developed by his Department for each region, which will run until 2024. I understand that these are expected to be published in the near future.
The plans are massively important for achieving balanced regional development by ensuring that regional strategies are aligned with the national ambitions for enterprise and employment growth as outlined in Project Ireland 2040 and the national recovery and resilience plan. The plans will drive sustainability and quality job creation in the regions, facilitating each region to achieve its economic potential through bottom-up, collaborative initiatives based on each region's strengths and opportunities. The publication of the new plans will also fulfil a commitment in Our Rural Future 2021-2025, the national rural development policy developed by my Department collaboratively across Government. This engagement continues through the implementation of Our Rural Future 2021-2025.
In terms of engagement with the development of the new regional enterprise plans, my Department has played an active role. Officials from my Department are members of the national oversight group and also sit on steering committees for the development of the new regional enterprise plans in a number of regions. I welcome the forthcoming completion of the plans and I look forward to further engagement regarding their implementation over the coming years.
Under the rural development policy for 2021 to 2025 there are 152 policy measures in the framework plan. For example, policy measure 25 is to promote awareness, and the use, of remote working hubs. That is a problem in my constituency. There are three hubs in my constituency but approximately 50% of the people in one of the areas involved do not have access to broadband. There is a community centre that is serving a huge population. There are 900 children in the local primary schools. As one can imagine, there is also a large number of children in secondary school and college. There is a facility available but we cannot get a hub there. That is Inniscarra parish. It is likewise with Mourneabbey and Glenville. These are things we need to develop. Is there any proposal for the provision of funding for the roll-out of additional hubs in areas where there will not be broadband for the next five years? Broadband will not be available in many of these areas until 2025 or 2026.
Policy measure 30 is to deliver a suite of new measures to support the development of social enterprise in rural areas. Again, that is very important one for job creation. When will we see the overall delivery in respect of these two measures? These are just two of the 152 policy areas in this framework.
Regarding the area the Deputy mentioned that has no broadband and cannot get a broadband connection point, I suggest that he contact either Cork City Council or Cork County Council-----
The parish of Inniscarra has been divided in two with the extension of the city boundary. Half of the parish is now in the city and half is in the county. It is a huge community. We have been very lucky in developing community facilities. There are over 50 acres of community grounds between rugby pitches, soccer pitches, GAA pitches and camogie pitches, but there is no broadband.
There is no reason that Cork City Council and Cork County Council cannot work together. It is not a big job to get a broadband connection point, to be honest. We have been rolling them out across the country. We have been working with the broadband officers in the local authorities and they have given great service. In other counties where there is no broadband in the area we fund the connection of a broadband connection point. We have also funded different communities to provide the facilities they need for remote working, e-learning and the different things they can do in the broadband connection points.
I strongly recommend contacting the broadband officer in the local authority and making an application to get a connection point there. Nobody wants to see that number of people in an area without broadband. If the Deputy wishes to write to me about it, I will follow it up on his behalf. It is important in this day and age that people have a community space where they can access broadband.
I have engaged with the local authority and it says it does not have funding to develop further hubs. Can that be looked at with regard to funding so additional hubs can be made available?
I do not have the list with me but I understand a lot of broadband connection points have been funded in Cork. There are 17 on the connected hubs platform and we have mapped out 19 to invite on board to get into the connected hubs platform. That is quite a few, but we will look at the specific issue the Deputy has raised.
Is it agreed that we go back to Question No. 9 in the name of Deputy Higgins? Agreed.
