Seán Canney (Galway East, Independent) | Oireachtas source

Deputy Martin Kenny spoke about fibre running along poles not being live. I had a meeting this morning with the telecommunications industry. They have a clear understanding of what I want them to do. As stated in the Dáil by the Minister, Deputy Bruton, and me, if the Deputy raises that specific issue with the Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment, we will have it followed up and get back to him on it.

Deputy Rabbitte spoke about CLÁR. She also mentioned the town and village renewal scheme. The Department has a number of streams of funding to which people can make applications, including the rural regeneration fund. There is funding available to enable identified buildings, whether publicly or privately owned, to be brought back into public use. We do not need to reinvent the wheel. Where we have libraries, we have a tool and a network. We are investing in digital enhancement of libraries so that they can remain open. These are called "open libraries" and they are open remotely from 8 a.m. until 10 p.m. There is an open library in Tubbercurry and this provision is being rolled out across the country. On the day I visited Tubbercurry library, senior citizens were being trained in computer skills, including how to send an email and how to access information online in regard to booking a holiday and so on, such that they are not left behind in their communities in the digital age. There is a huge amount happening. It is not always about finding new buildings. There are libraries in many places that we should be utilising more. They should not be open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. only. They should be open remotely and we are doing that.

This is the type of initiative and forward thinking we need in terms of utilising the assets we have. In doing that, we will create the spaces we need. Communities in villages that do not have libraries can access funding for the creation of these spaces through CLÁR, the town and village renewal scheme, the community enhancement programme, as well as the rural regeneration fund. These funding streams will be of great assistance to such. We all know of buildings that have been closed for years which could be opened up for this purpose.

That is what is happening. We have also piloted six villages in the country where we have given funding for the community itself to come up with a scheme for what it wants to do to regenerate its town. They probably will come up with six different proposals for each town. The reason for that is because not every town is the same. Their needs and wants are different. Rural regeneration means that rather than Dublin telling us what we will give in Tuam, Claremorris or wherever, we will ask people to create the plan they want, ask them to bring that back up to us, and we will try to fund that. It is a different, bottom-up approach.