Mr. Kevin McCarthy:

Yes. The framework in place for community development applies nationally in rural and urban settings. For example, under what was the RAPID scheme, we invested in urban areas and in urban communities with particular disadvantages, etc. We are investing in the north east inner city project in Dublin, for example. There tends to be a strong focus on the rural dimension, and that is an important part of our mission when it comes to community development, but it applies to both. I want to be very clear on that.

In respect of what we are doing, I have tried to describe the role of the Department in supporting balanced regional development. We see that as an important part of our remit. I refer to investing in communities, in the regeneration of communities and in opportunities for communities through the various schemes and programmes. It is about ensuring that people in rural Ireland, in particular, have the opportunity to live and work locally. Investment in enterprise hubs and digital hubs to support digital connectivity, for example, is part and parcel of our policies and programmes.

That is empowering communities and making them attractive places for people to live and work. Live and work is an important dimension because there is a carbon implication if people have to commute long distances for work opportunities. Supporting micro-enterprise or communities as attractive places to live and work is core in that context. I describe our mission to support the regeneration and development of rural communities as being very much front and centre of the climate action agenda.

I also point to the work we are doing in respect of community development, active citizenship and supporting active citizenship. The public participation networks are geared at trying to engage citizens with decision-making processes locally. I see that as a direct contribution to the climate action agenda. The Government, ultimately, needs to be able to engage directly with citizens and to involve them in local decision-making processes. We need local authorities to identify their own development needs, to come up with their own strategies to address those needs, to identify and involve all the actors at a local level, to engage directly with communities and with community organisations and feed into that. We are impacting directly on the climate action agenda by creating and sustaining the framework that allows that to happen.