Michael Collins (Cork South West, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I came from the community sector myself. With no disrespect to the Minister, the Government relegated the Ministry for rural affairs when it put it on top of social protection. It has got lost. No one could argue that point when it was a stand-alone Ministry. It had a stronger clout with regard to delivering for the people of rural Ireland. No matter how good she is - we have many debates down through the years in committees - she cannot be good enough to run two portfolios.

That is the way Fianna Fáil has looked at the rural portfolio. This is not the first time it kicked rural affairs or rural development down the Swanee. Deputy Mattie McGrath is correct about how LEADER funding was lost. In 2016, when there were discussions about forming a Government, Deputy Micheál Martin was looking for our support. I certainly felt he was supportive of putting LEADER funding back to the way it was, namely, community driven. Now it is politically driven and it is a disaster. It does not deliver to local rural communities when it used to be a programme with the best delivery.

On the rural regeneration fund, I have to speak on behalf of the people of the Cork South-West constituency. Over the past several years, only one project in Kinsale has received funding from this. That is scandalous. We had a shovel-ready project, the Schull harbour development project, about which I spoke with the Taoiseach yesterday. There could not be a better project. It fitted the bill perfectly. What happened? Nothing. There needs to be an independent inquiry as to why that did not happen if there is any bit of honesty in this new Government. Someone along the way pulled the plug when there were aspirational projects around the place that were nowhere near shovel-ready that got millions of euro. Why was the Cork South-West constituency left behind? That is why I am looking for a task force for the constituency.

The stability fund for community voluntary groups is not enough. Groups either get nothing out of it or just €1,000. While €1,000 is nothing to be snuffed at, in these times more is needed. I spoke recently to the leaders of the Red Cross in Clonakilty. It has lost its training centre and ambulance store in Clogheen, Clonakilty, because it does not have funding. Funding is not getting to those on the ground and the people who need it. This is why we need a stand-alone and strong Minister for rural affairs.

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