Michael Noonan (Limerick City, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

It is a major issue. I am not proposing anything in this Bill. In the future, if I am still in a position to do something, it is an area of very significant need in respect of which action is required. There is a need for an economic justification. I think the sequence for rural Ireland is to build the economy on agriculture, food, tourism, construction and the professions which provide services to the rural community. Then if one needs to house people in the towns, that will follow. There are planning implications as well because it is not an exaggeration to say that most people in gainful employment in rural Ireland live in homes that are situated on the roads around a village rather than in that village. The houses in the village, apart from the legacy of a more viable trading community, tend to be social houses. It is a big problem. I could take members to villages where there is not much happening on the main street. My general point is that there needs to be a more integrated solution rather than simply giving tax breaks .