Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 15 December 2022
413. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development if she will outline all the actions that her Department has taken across various sectors to revitalise rural Ireland; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [56912/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraMy Department continues to play a critical role in supporting communities across the country in both rural and urban Ireland. My Department’s focus is to promote rural and community development and to support vibrant, inclusive and sustainable communities throughout Ireland. This mission is set out in our Statement of Strategy 2021 to 2023.
Substantial progress has been made by my Department in delivering programmes and policy interventions for communities across rural Ireland. This has ensured that our existing supports and funding is directed to best support communities, particularly in respect of the emerging challenges of Brexit, Climate Action and Covid-19.
My Department delivers a wide range of strategic interventions and funding programmes to support rural communities throughout the country. This funding includes supports for rural areas through schemes such as the Rural Regeneration and Development Fund, LEADER Programme, Town and Village Renewal Scheme, Outdoor Recreation Infrastructure Scheme, Local Improvement Scheme, CLÁR Programme, Islands Capital Programme, and Connected Hubs initiative. This targeted investment supports rural regeneration, facilitates new working opportunities, and fosters regional enterprise growth.
Our Rural Future, published last year, is the Irish Government’s blueprint for a post-COVID-19 recovery and development of rural Ireland over the period 2020 - 2025. It provides the framework to achieve the vision of transforming the quality of life and opportunity for people living in rural areas. Since publication, implementation of measures continues to be strong.
Sustainable, Inclusive and Empowered Communities: A five-year strategy to support the community and voluntary sector in Ireland, published in August 2019, sets out how Government will support the sector in the years to come and aims to provide communities with both the means and opportunity to be involved in decisions that affect them. With actions to be implemented to 2024, the Strategy sets a general direction of travel for government policy in relation to the community development, local development and the community and voluntary sectors for the years ahead.
Ireland’s first National Social Enterprise Policy, published in July 2019, focuses on building awareness of Social Enterprise, growing and strengthening Social Enterprise, and achieving better policy alignment. Implementation of measures contained in the policy is ongoing and the 4th National Social Enterprise Conference took place last month.
Our Public Libraries 2022: Inspiring, Connecting and Empowering Communities is an ambitious strategy to develop the public library service over the period 2018 - 2022. The strategy was developed by my Department, the County and City Management Association and the Local Government Management Agency. Building on technological and service innovations of recent years, it focuses on improving access, use and visibility of the public library and establishing it as the go-to place for a range of sustainable, integrated public services.
The Town Centre First policy was launched in February 2022. It was developed jointly by my Department and the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage. It contains a range of actions designed to achieve key objectives such as social and economic revival in towns, the provision of housing, as well as addressing challenges like vacancy and derelict buildings.
Other achievements include the National Volunteering Strategy 2021 – 2025 which sets out a long-term vision for volunteering and volunteers with a series of implementation actions underway.
Embracing Ireland’s Outdoors, Ireland’s first ever National Outdoor Recreation Strategy was launched last month. It will set the stage to strengthen and support the sustainable development of the outdoor recreation sector in Ireland for years to come bringing huge economic and health benefits to communities across the country.
Work is also continuing on the development of the new Islands Policy as set out in the Programme for Government and a draft Irish National Policy on Philanthropy will be published next year for public consultation.
I am confident that the funding supports and policies provided by my Department will continue to deliver tangible benefits for both urban and rural communities, supporting economic development, and enabling the local and community development sectors to continue to provide valuable much needed services and supports to all communities throughout the country.
