Eugene Murphy (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

Cuirim fáilte roimh Ms de Brúch agus roimh Mr. Parnell. I thank Mr. Parnell for his presentation. I acknowledge the work the Department has done during this extraordinary pandemic. I know that many of its staff have worked extremely hard. There is also the significant amount of money that has come into the regions. It is acknowledged by many communities, as is the assistance that has been given.

Like Deputy Ó Cuív, I come from a rural area. I live 2.5 miles out from the town of Strokestown, in Roscommon. Many people in rural Ireland felt privileged when this pandemic arose that they were in a rural area, that we had the space and were not in crowded areas. One evening my family was watching on TV something about an inner-city part of Dublin where there were a lot flats. At the time there was virtually a total lockdown. I heard a member of my family comment that the people in that area of Dublin did not have even a green area to play in and that we were there with acres of space and places to work. This is a significant factor and points to the development of outdoor spaces, even though, obviously, at certain times of the year the weather is not conducive to being outdoors. In my area a lot of walks and cycle routes are being put in place. Open space will become so important because, as has been said, we will still be living with Covid for quite a while, despite the vaccines and even though yesterday was a very good day.

I wish to acknowledge the role played by many people in the community. I refer in particular to postmen and postwomen. I have got the feeling in recent years that An Post has been driving its workers to make more use of their time and not to engage. One of the greatest aspects of postmen and postwomen in this country is their engagement with people on the doorstep. It is very significant.

In many ways, they are carers, particularly for people who are on their own. They make sure they engage with the person before they leave their door. We should never underestimate that. In that way, Covid has had an advantage. I welcome An Post having gone out of its way to encourage its staff to engage with, encourage, help and support people. In my area, a local paper is delivered by postmen and postwomen. It is not part of their run but they do it as a gesture of goodwill. That type of engagement is very important.

Some of my points have already been addressed and I do not expect the witnesses to respond to them. On the issues of water and broadband, I very much agree with Deputy Kerrane that there are issues on the islands that need to be dealt with speedily. I know that Deputy Ó Cuív has been raising such issues for a long time.

I refer to one of the briefing documents provided. On the issue of water, it states that responsibility for the provision of water services is not within the remit of the Department of Rural and Community Development. On broadband, it states that responsibility for the roll-out of broadband is a matter for the Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications. It further states that primary responsibility for the provision of health services on the islands lies with the HSE. Is there a co-ordinated approach on these issues? We are talking about a specific group of people in specific areas. Is there a co-ordinated approach across Departments to address all of those problems that have been going on for years and need to be tackled and developed?

On the issue of community groups, it is fair to say that a significant amount of money has been made available for grants to do specific things in a town, village or area, but one of the sections that has been suffering is that of development associations. They are the people with an office in a town who keep the whole town going. They are unofficial tourism offices. They are usually staffed by Tús workers or whatever and that is fine. However, they do not have money to pay electricity, phone or rent bills. They cannot run their lotto competitions or many other fundraising activities. It is just not possible for them to do so. I think money for this group was announced in recent days by the Minister, Deputy Humphreys. Is that money an assistance to help them to keep their offices going? It is only a matter of a couple of thousand euro. If they get over these few months and there is some type of return to some form of normality, as I hope there will be, they will be able to refocus on the way they used to raise funds. In the meantime, to get them over this little hill, a small financial aid of a couple of thousand euro would keep the groups going until summer. It would mean the offices could keep their services going. We should remember that these are voluntary services. The staff all work in a voluntary capacity. I am seeking clarification on the matter. If the witnesses cannot provide it now, they may come back to me on the matter. Is the funding recently announced by the Minister specifically for people who are trying to keep those offices going and provide local services? The groups will have to apply to their local authority to get the money. I ask for clarification on the issue.