Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 15 September 2022
85. Deputy Catherine Connolly asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development further to Question No. 45 of 31 May 2022, the status of the new policy for the islands; if she has received the initial draft of the policy document to date; the expected timeline for the completion and publication of the new policy for the islands; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [45151/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraBaineann mo cheist le cúrsaí oileánda agus go háirithe leis an bpolasaí do na hoileáin atá beartaithe le fada an lá. Tá mé ag iarraidh uasdátú a fháil maidir le stádas an pholasaí sin. An bhfuil an dréachtpholasaí ag an Aire agus cén uair a bheidh an polasaí foilsithe? Táimid ag fanacht le fada an lá.
As the Deputy will be aware, the Government is committed to publishing a ten-year policy on island development, with associated three-year action plans. Indeed, the programme for Government includes a commitment in this regard and, as Minister with responsibility for the islands, I am determined to ensure the policy is delivered. I have received an initial working draft of the policy, which sets out the context for the policy and defines strategic objectives. I will be meeting with my officials in the coming days to review the overall direction of the policy and discuss the next steps and timeline for completion.
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 2021-2025, published in 2021. The Deputy will be aware an extensive consultation process has been completed by my 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, and indeed challenges and opportunities, for our island communities.
An interdepartmental committee for the islands was established and its most recent meeting was held on 22 June 2022, where it was agreed committee members would review their Department's draft input and revert with revised actions. I understand the interdepartmental committee is scheduled to meet again in October, when members will be able to share their feedback, observations and recommendations regarding the initial draft of the policy. I expect the policy and action plan to be finalised between now and the end of the year. It is a long time in the making but it is nearly there and I am glad that is the case. I am glad I was able to attend the AGM of Comhdháil Oileáin na hÉireann on Árainn Mhór, where I got a chance to speak to the representative groups who were there from islands around the country. It is 26 years in the making and it is nearly there.
I welcome the Minister's determination and that she now has an initial working draft of a policy for which we have long waited. She has given a publication date of before the end of the year. I will be holding her to that. I take a cynical attitude to this, given the background here. There has been no policy for the islands. We have had interdepartmental workforces going back to 1996, yet through that time we have had no development with regard to policy. By contrast, the islands in Scotland have a comprehensive policy based on legislation and their population is increasing. The opposite is the case here.
As regards the working draft, what issues have been identified, given that Members have been inundated with issues from the islands? The islands are working in a vacuum and we receive constant representations about the céanna ar Inis Oírr agus ar Inis Meáin, for example. There is also the debacle relating to the LEADER payment, which I understand Deputy Ó Cuív will be raising later. The islands have asked that they be treated as one region for the purposes of LEADER . Of course, there is the issue of housing. These issues are being raised all the time in a vacuum, with no policy.
I will have to go through the document as I have not yet read it, but I was at the AGM and the issues relating to the islands are clear to me. There is the need to attract young people back to the islands. Planning permission is a significant issue. The islanders are concerned they cannot get planning that would allow young people to return. I was given the example of a young man who was coming back from America but could not get planning permission to build a house on the island. There is no doubt there are environmental issues but I do not see why we cannot address these things. What make islands are people, including young people. They are looking at issues relating to schools and additional funding for teachers who work on the islands. I said I would raise that with the Minister, Deputy Foley.
The point is that this island policy means that I have to hold other Departments to account. I want to make sure I get strong commitments from each Department as to how we can improve the situation on islands. There is no point in having a policy unless we have strong commitments and then I have to keep their toes to the fire to make sure they deliver on these commitments. We are working with them on that particular issue to get the policy finished and get the commitments from all the different Departments.
I thank the Minister, and I thank her for her visit to the islands. She is aware of the issues. My question is, are those issues reflected in the draft report that is before her? That is very important. In regard to the ongoing issues, we can learn from the islands. They have survived. They have shown us a sustainable way of living. Each Government, not just this Government, has utterly failed to deal with the islands in a just and equal way with a comprehensive report based on legislation. Housing is a major issue on all the islands and particularly the Aran Islands and Inishbofin. We have problems with the lack of health centres and ongoing problems with na céibheanna. I am reading correspondence from Inis Meáin. People there are despairing in regard to the process on An Caladh Mór, and the simulation exercise that is going on in the marine centre in Cork, and so on. Equally people in Inis Oírr have contacted us as a representative body telling us that the funding model under LEADER is not going to do anything for the islands and will continue the division that has happened up to date, which is not acceptable. I will not go over my time.
I am surprised that they did not group the questions because I had a very similar question, No. 138. I was on Bere Island, Inishbofin and the Aran Islands over the summer. The regression in policy in the past ten years is absolutely astounding. To be honest, the big plan of drawing up a plan is a time-wasting exercise because for example a health policy was developed for the islands and published with great fanfare, but nothing happened. Things have regressed on that also. Islands that had full 24-7 nursing cover do not have it anymore. What they need is not rocket science. Every time you sit down with the islanders they tell you straight out. As Deputy Connolly has pointed out they want roads, better ferry services, air services, health and education services and so on. Nearly every island is unique. Some are inshore and others are much further out to sea. Will the Minister tell me how much control her Department has exerted on the other Departments? Has she insisted that it is her island policy or are we going to get a copy and paste and we normally get with these comprehensive policies, from each Department, telling her what they are already doing, for example telling her what they are doing on planning on the islands, which is as she points out an absolutely critical issue?
The Deputy will agree that I have taken a keen interest in the islands. I have taken the trouble - I know Deputy Ó Cuív is a regular visitor to them himself - and have been on Bere Island, I have been on Arranmore twice this year already and one of the visits was to open a wonderful new seafront facility for the islanders there with huge investment under the rural regeneration fund in conjunction with Donegal County Council. I am personally committed to making sure that we deliver on this island policy but there is no point in having a document if I do not nail down other Departments so that they must deliver. I mean that. I will do that. I will make sure that whenever the document comes, and there has been much consultation on it, that it is a meaningful document with very clear objectives and actions to back up those objectives. That is what I want to achieve. It is not easy living on an island. Deputy Connolly refers to Inis Oírr and the difficulties there on the pier and the simulation that is going on in Cork. As I said the last time, it comes up every time in questions in the House, if I could do it myself I would do it because I am sick wondering when it is going to move on. How many times do you have to do this or how long does it take to develop it?
Inis Meáin.
Sorry, Inis Meáin. Inis Oírr is the first one I was on, and Inis Meáin was the second. This pier was repaired many years ago. The Deputy knows more about it than I do. It does not work so now it is about how we can make it better. It is complex. Significant consultation has been undertaken with island communities. There has been wide consultation with the Departments and agencies. Bilateral meetings have been held with 13 Departments and other relevant bodies such as local authorities and Údarás na Gaeltachta. Good progress has been made but I am going to make sure we have it in writing and I will hold them to account.
