Mr. William Parnell:

I thank the Senator. She raised quite a number of issues. I will address some of them and then ask Ms de Brúch to talk about the rainwater harvesting and any other issues relating to the islands.

The Senator asked how we promote our various schemes. I appreciate that there are many schemes across Government. Information on the schemes the Department operates is available on the Department's pages on the gov.iewebsite. I appreciate that not everybody would necessarily have ready access to that information but most of these schemes are delivered through the local community development committees, LCDCs, of the local authorities. The separate local development companies, which are often referred to as LEADER companies, are involved in the delivery of many of our schemes. The local development companies are very active at community and local level so they should be in a position to provide information on any of the schemes operated by the Department or the Department of Social Protection. That would include the likes of CE schemes.

Regarding the local markets, one of the lessons we have learned from the Covid-19 experience is the value of these outdoor markets, and not only in rural areas. We have seen a local farmers' market close to my own home in Bushy Park. There is no doubt that they bring a buzz and a bit of vitality to the area.

I mentioned in my opening address the accelerated measure under the town and village renewal scheme. A number of projects have utilised funding to support the type of activity the Senator spoke about. Donegal town has established an outdoor food market based on the funding from that accelerated measure. In Ballyconnell, County Cavan, they have created an outdoor space for people to meet. We have seen that in many different towns throughout the country. Kildare town is a good example also of where they have converted the car parking space in the centre of town to make public seating and dining areas available. That has enhanced those town centres.

The Senator mentioned empty buildings in towns. That is an issue that has been raised on many occasions and it is one of the reasons we place a focus on supporting town revival and regeneration. The Department ran a pilot scheme, which finished last year, to examine the whole issue of town centre living. An independent report on that initiative was published in June of this year and it concluded that the issue of vacant properties is a complex one. Sometimes, it is about people who have inherited a house and they do not know what to do with it or they do not have the resources to do anything with it. In other cases it can be more costly to invest in the house than the return they will get on the investment. More can be spent doing up a house than the eventual market value of a house in a town centre.

Notwithstanding that, the Senator will be aware that the programme for Government includes a commitment to a town centre first principle. A colleague in the Department is co-chairing a group that has been established to look at progressing the town centre first principle. As part of the work of that interdepartmental group, which includes a chief executive from Tipperary County Council, the group will examine the various recommendations made in the independent report on town centre living to see how they can be progressed. It is an issue we are very conscious of as a Department and we will continue to work on it over the course of 2021.

I will hand over to Ms de Brúch. The Senator asked a question about rainwater harvesting on the islands.