Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

Before we begin proceedings, I wish to send my thoughts and prayers to Detective Chief Inspector John Caldwell, the police officer shot in Omagh last night. A decent man, he was volunteering and training young children at sport, as happens in every community, North and South. He was off duty when he was shot down in front of his son. When he was on the ground, he was shot again. I condemn the cowards, as I know everyone in the House does, who carried out this reprehensible and heinous act. I implore anyone who has information to come forward so that the perpetrators face the full rigour of the law.

I thank Deputy Kerrane for her question. Our Rural Future is the most ambitious and transformational policy for rural development in decades. It commits to developing an effective rural proofing model to ensure that all Departments fully consider the effects of significant new proposals on rural communities and better target the particular challenges and opportunities facing them. In order to progress this matter, my officials commissioned a report on rural proofing, which is now available on my Department's website. The report sets out the policy context for rural proofing and examines the experience of implementing various approaches to rural proofing in a number of other countries. The international evidence is clear, in that there is no one-size-fits-all approach to rural proofing that can be quickly and successfully implemented.

In light of this, my Department has commenced engagement on a pilot basis with key Departments to identify the best approach in the Irish context. Last year, my officials engaged directly with all relevant Departments as regards rural proofing as part of their ongoing discussions on the implementation of Our Rural Future. They have since engaged in greater detail with colleagues in the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media on the development of the new sustainable tourism policy. Similarly, work is under way on the development of the new national hubs strategy, with the incorporation of the rural perspective a key part of its development.

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