Maura Hopkins (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

Like my colleagues, I congratulate the Minister of State, Deputy Canney, on his appointment. As others have stated, he sat on this side of the table and he lives in a rural area so he has a good grasp of the challenges which face us. I wish him the best of luck in his new role.

I have a few points to make. The people of Roscommon are delighted that €780,000 was awarded through the town and village renewal scheme this year. That impacted on seven towns and villages across the county. Within that scheme, it is a decent amount of money to make an impact. As we see the economy improving, it is good to see increases in the allocations regarding that impact. It is also good that the Minister anticipates that the scheme will be rolled out further. Does he expect further changes to be made? I refer, in particular, to the economic impact. Last April, the Minister spoke in the Abbey Hotel in Roscommon at the launch of the Beara-Breifne Way. Specifically on the walk scheme - and the Minister is known as a man of his word - he indicated that he hoped to extend it. The allocation of an additional €2 million in budget 2019 in this regard is a positive development. I am involved with a number of community groups regarding the Beara-Breifne Way and it is important that landowners are properly supported. We anticipate that the €2 million to which I refer will have a positive impact within our area. Almost €1 million was allocated to the Beara-Breifne Way. The Minister will be happy to know that work on that is under way in Roscommon.

I also want to mention Boyle. The Minister already referred to the town in the context of the pilot scheme. It is a really good initiative in trying to encourage town centre living. Many of the challenges Boyle faces relate to accommodation. That is particularly the case because of the fabulous tourist amenities such as Lough Key and the King House Historical and Cultural Centre. In the context of trying to create footfall within the town, preliminary work has taken place on scattered accommodation to support tourists or people who want to come into the area to stay overnight in the town centre. I hope that with this money the community will come up with innovative ideas to support that and encourage town centre living.

On the rural regeneration scheme, I understand that decisions will be made in November. There is a major emphasis on economic benefit. How will the applications be prioritised or adjudicated upon? It is positive to see tangible funding being given to local communities. Positive discrimination towards rural towns and villages is what we need in order to encourage balanced regional development, as Senator Grace O'Sullivan indicated. The Minister is working exceptionally hard on our behalf to ensure that there is adequate funding. However, there is always room for more. These schemes are important and will be beneficial. We have seen the benefits already from the town and village renewal scheme, the outdoor recreation infrastructure scheme and the reintroduction of LIS. Many of the schemes have been beneficial but we need further positive discrimination towards rural and towns and villages.