Robert Dowds (Dublin Mid West, Labour) | Oireachtas source

I am very conscious that I am the only urban Deputy in this assembly. Like most Dubs I am only a step away from my rural past. First of all, I congratulate the Minister of State, Deputy Ann Phelan, on her appointment. She is a most appropriate person for this position given where she hails from, a town that has much potential.

One of the things I am conscious of is that many of the contributions so far have focused on 20th century solutions to 21st century problems. I will try to stick to questions as much as possible. Going back to one of the last points that Deputy Stanley made, has any thought been given to the combination of services in order that towns and villages can get or maintain facilities such as bus services? Deputy Stanley mentioned the combination of services in parts of Scotland where post and bus were combined. That sort of thinking might help to overcome some of the problems that exist for towns and villages. Has there been any thought given to the question of the planning of housing in villages and small towns? If housing was focused in those places, it would help to sustain the shops and schools and churches that are declining. I am interested in the Minister of State's response to that.

I regret that the Minister of State was asked to omit the piece that she had about tourism because, for some villages, I have no doubt that this is, in the broadest sense, a possible way forward, whether that be walking, farm visits, horse riding or fishing. As the Minister of State is aware, I had a Bill on access to the countryside. Could I ask her for a commitment that she will come back to tease out the issues in that Bill more thoroughly because it is something where I believe we are losing a great deal? I will give one example. In Scotland, the Fife Coastal Path yields between £24 million and £29 million annually for the local economy as well as supporting approximately 800 local jobs. Not every walking route will be as productive as that but there is certainly scope for that. Given that we get about 750,000 tourists every year who come specifically to walk, many of them will be disappointed by their walking experience in this country notwithstanding the fact that some progress has been made. I would like if the Minister of State could give a commitment that we could discuss some of the sensitive issues that are involved in that Bill that I brought before Dáil Éireann in 2012.

My mother grew up in a village called Moynalty in north Meath, and I believe it is a very good example of what I will talk about. There is a tremendous wealth of community involvement and a willingness to help the local community. To what extent are there plans to tap into that sort of positive interest in sustaining and developing one's own community? It strikes me that that is much more apparent in rural situations than it often is in some urban communities. Are there any plans to do that? How can councils, through their involvement, effectively tap into that very important resource?

I agree with the remarks that have been made about broadband. The sooner broadband is rolled out to everywhere in the country, the better.

It is a waste of effort to complain about the demise of a Garda station or something of that nature, although it is easier for me as an urban Deputy to say this. While I can see that it is a definite loss to a town or village, given the nature of life nowadays, where people are much more mobile, it makes more sense for some of those services to be concentrated more centrally. I am interested in the Minister of State's reply to those questions.