Niamh Smyth (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank both Ministers for their presentations. I congratulate the Minister of State, Deputy Ring, on his promotion to the Ministry. It is one of the most important Departments when one considers the size of the island and how much of it is rural.

I welcome the Minister's comment that he is open to discussion with the committee on the national planning framework. Rural areas need much work and investment, including basic infrastructure.

We have no rail, airports, or anything of that nature in Cavan and Monaghan so we are totally dependent on a very good road network. As I have pointed out in the Dáil Chamber, if one were to look at a map of Ireland one would see a motorway that cuts from Dublin to Galway with all other motorways to major cities south of that. North of that line - Sligo, Cavan, Monaghan - these motorways are non-existent. When it comes to developing a major road network, we have been completely forgotten. There was a plan many years ago for an east-west link that would open up the whole north-east corridor from Dundalk to Sligo, taking in the whole Border region. I urge the Minister and his Department to look at this matter very seriously and consider what influence he might have on the national planning framework, which will be critical in light of Brexit.

The Minister spoke to us of the many funding streams for which he is responsible: LEADER; CLÁR; local improvement schemes,LIS; and Revitialising Areas by Planning, Investment and Development, RAPID. These are hugely important at national as well as constituency level and rural areas like Cavan-Monaghan are extremely dependent on them. Under the town and village renewal scheme, for example, Cavan was allocated a handsome €380,000. Up until October of this year, as I understand it, only €57,000 had been spent. I am very concerned by this because I have only to step outside my door to see areas that could massively benefit from this money. In Bailieborough, for example, we have a major social housing scheme called Drumbannon which was the first of a number of such schemes in the town. Drumbannon backs onto the next housing estate, Woodview, and there are a number of alleyways running between them which are crucial for providing simple pedestrian access from one estate to the other. For years the residents have been complaining about the lack of pedestrian access, and rightly so, but according to my information the council has been unable to source any funding to address this. When I then hear that the council had been allocated €380,000 under the town and village renewal scheme and that only €57,000 of that figure has actually been spent, I am concerned at the reasons for such a delay and at what it might be that is restricting our councils from getting that money to where it is so badly needed.

In 2016, meanwhile, almost half a million euro was allocated to Cavan County Council under the CLÁR funding scheme, but again only slightly more that €100,000 of that was actually spent on projects, a major underspend in relation to the total allocation. I ask the question again: what is restricting our councils here? My information on this suggests that public consultations do not perhaps have the staff resources in place to get that money out. The notion of giving this money to local authorities and then leaving them in the position where they are unable to spend it concerns and worries me greatly, especially when there are areas that badly need that money. I urge the Minister to engage with the local authorities to see how they might be enabled to get that money out.

I welcome the fact that the Minister has brought back the local improvement scheme, which had been discontinued in 2008, and is badly needed. The roads departments in our local authorities have been building up application after application over the past ten years, and by this stage they are gathering dust. It is hugely important that the Minister has brought the LIS back into play for our local authorities, though I agree with Deputy Nolan that it is unfortunate that one has to rob Peter to pay Paul in this regard. Traditionally there was a specific allocation for the LIS and this should be reintroduced so that no other Department or scheme will suffer. I welcome the Minister's courage in bringing back this scheme but we need much more because many rural residents depend on it.

I wish to mention the Ulster Canal restoration project, which is another initiative that could open up much of the east-west corridor. The area is very dependent on projects like this one, which has so much capacity to build up our tourism and local economy. Rural areas have so much to benefit from this. I urge the Minister to engage with the Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht, Deputy Humphreys, as I am sure he has been doing, to ensure that this project progress in a timely fashion because it is crucial for the area.

I agree with Deputy Nolan when it comes to the 18 checks and balances contained in the LEADER funding scheme. LEADER is one of the more successful schemes for rural communities but are 18 checks and balances really necessary? Could these not be scaled back to get the money out there and facilitate community groups in delivering on projects? These checks and balances are certainly not encouraging. Many of the bodies engaging with LEADER are voluntary groups with no paid staff. Our rural communities will suffocate and die without access to that money and the 18 checks and balances are certainly not providing any encouragement. The number of projects in Cavan-Monaghan that had successfully accessed LEADER funding stood in single figures the last time I checked.

I would appreciate it if the Minister could address some of the issues that I have raised here today.