Maura Hopkins (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank Mr. McGuinness for his work and his contribution this afternoon. I live in Ballaghaderreen which is the headquarters of the WDC. Ballaghaderreen is like many other towns but not all rural communities are the same. As Mr. McGuinness said, rural decline is a complex issue. In my first contribution in the Seanad, this time last year, I asked for a detailed analysis of each town and its hinterland in order that we could understand the challenges and opportunities. I believed then that the Western Development Commission had a huge role to play in looking at the analysis and I still believe that. I am as frustrated as Mr. McGuinness that we have not seen progress. There is an action plan for rural development and a certain level of funding through CLÁR and the town and village renewal scheme, but there needs to be a bottom-up approach and this needs proper support and investment.

I am involved in the town team in Ballaghaderreen and we face huge challenges which are similar to other rural areas, with a high rate of vacancy and unfinished housing estates that have not yet been taken in charge because of the construction industry of the 2000s. We have a high rate of unemployment and we need proper support in order that more young people will want to come back to rural areas. While we have many challenges, there is a lot of good, there is a good quality of life and I am very proud to live in a rural area.

I know about a lot of the work in which the WDC is involved, such as its extensive research. We have excellent researchers and I know many of them. The research is important as it provides the evidence for the need for investment and funding. Senator O'Donnell spoke of the creative sector, and the WDC has done a huge amount of work to develop the creative sector. It sees huge potential for this in the western region, and I agree on that. It is also looking at renewable energies such as biomass or district heating, and a lot needs to be done in those areas. We need to know what needs to change. Mr. McGuinness said bureaucracy needs to be reduced, balanced with a governing structure, and it is extremely difficult for community groups and business people to overcome so many unnecessary obstacles. He also spoke of the need for communities to come up with a coherent plan which could be funded through the WDC. Is there anything else he feels needs to change in order that the Western Development Commission can be supported in its work and reach its potential to impact positively on rural areas?