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

I beg your pardon. Such persons throughout the country are deeply frustrated. Cavan County Council can only deliver on a small number of schemes. On an annual basis we are in single digits through no fault of the local authority. I appreciate that it receives a certain amount, but we are trying to fill a ten-year gap when the scheme was not open for the receipt of applications. However, many local authorities were good enough to continue to accept application forms in the belief and understanding that some day the scheme would be reopened for the receipt of applictions. It is of huge importance to communities, in particular, for farmers across counties Cavan, Monaghan and Meath, that funding for the scheme be increased. Does the Minister see himself being in a position to deliver more schemes because it is our job as the local Deputies to ensure the Government provides as much funding as possible and I suppose adopts a positive bias towards counties and constituencies, the economies of which are dependent on the agriculture sector to keep young people working on farms? That is what the LIS does. It is the scheme that is of most importance to my constituency.

The Minister mentioned broadband provision. It is something about which he is passionate. There is a successful digital hub in Cavan town. The reason it is so successful is that a broadband connection is not available. The further one goes from Cavan town in my neck of the woods towards Canningstown, Knockbride and Killinkere and on into west Cavan to places such as Bawnboy and Swanlinbar broadband is not available. The digital hubs have been filling that gap by allowing people a space in which to work, network with others who are running small businesses and seek business further afield outside their own county by having access to the worldwide web. Will the Minister comment on the digital hubs and broadband provision, indicating where he sees us going because constituencies such as mine are paralysed without a broadband service. I meet young people in my constituency offices for whom the availability of broadband will determines whether they will live in a rural part of the county or considering exiting. We have as a result seen an exodus of young people from counties such as Cavan, Monaghan and Meath. Broadband provision is a huge issue for them. If they cannot do their work and their children cannot access the Internet to carry out research in doing their homework and studying for college, they cannot consider living in a rural part of County Cavan or County Monaghan. Will the Minister also comment on this issue?

The Rural Regeneration and Development Fund is doing tremendous work. In Castleblaney we will have someone - the Acting Chairman has someone from his area coming too - to talk about the success of the feasibility studies in the context of the regeneration of the main streets. In deciding how we and the Department can deliver more and something better, we will be glued to the findings, analysis and feedback.