Claire Kerrane (Roscommon-Galway, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

Will the rural action plan that was supposed to run from 2020 be published before the end of the year? I refer to the previous action plan for rural development from 2017 to 2019, which had a key commitment and target of job creation, which was very welcome. My issue with that, which is something I hope will be rectified in the new action plan, is that targets were met in job creation - 220,000 jobs - which was welcome but when one asks where those jobs are, one is told they are outside of Dublin. That does not exactly narrow it down. In this new action plan, I would very much like to see targets but I would like to see follow up also and that when we get to the end of the plan, information is provided as to where those jobs were created. It is not enough to state "outside of Dublin".

While I greatly welcome the move to remote working, which is really positive, we do not want to see an over-reliance on that. We need to see further job creation, which is so important. When targets are set, I would like to see where those targets have been met so we can see whether there is a focus on the south as opposed to, perhaps, the west. Can I flag that point, please? Can Mr. Parnell tell me if the action plan will be published before the end of the year?

In respect of the schemes that exist, and there are many within the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage which are welcome and do a great deal of good in many communities, is there any way in which there might be a one-stop shop? On so many occasions a voluntary organisation, one with charitable status or a sports club, will approach a Deputy looking for a funding stream. It would be great if it could go on to a website and state that it is a sports club and what it is looking for and that options would then come up on what it can apply for. Much of the time clubs and organisations do not know what they can apply for and what the criteria are. If all this information could be on one system, it would be very useful.

On the ongoing consultation on the islands policy, have we a date for the publication of that or even a rough idea on when that might be published?