Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

The Town Centre First initiative is something we feed into, and the Minister of State, Deputy Peter Burke, chairs that committee. People talk about the Scottish model but we have the best model here in this country and it is Westport. What they did in Westport all those years ago - Senator Burke will be able to tell us about it - is they got a plan and they stuck to it. It was transformative for the town. The Scottish model is something similar. The most important thing we can have for any town is a plan, and that is what I want to do. I want this investment in a co-ordinated, joined-up way that brings the best benefit to the areas. I know that the town centre health check is something the Heritage Council has carried out but we have funded a tremendous number of plans under the town and village renewal scheme where we have given money to local authorities. I am sure everybody is aware of them in their own counties. We said go out there, consult with the local people, find out what they want and what their priorities are and we will put them together and work through this is in a sustainable way. There are loads of different funding streams that people can tap into to make their vision a reality. The most important thing is getting these communities together and getting people to think and maybe to think outside the box. If a place has a good plan it will develop in a way that is sustainable.

I totally agree with the Deputy on the help-to-buy scheme for young people. There are incentives of up to €30,000 for people to buy or build a new house but if first-time buyers are moving back into the centre of town, I want to look at the possibility of giving them that same incentive because it would involve a vacant building that has gone out of use being repurposed. It would be great to see young people moving back into the town centres because that is what breathes in new life and is what will bring footfall into the towns. The services will then organically grow as a result of that so I agree with the Deputy there.

On transport issues, we have a commitment in the policy to increase the roll-out and the provision under the Local Link services and that is under the aegis of the Department of Transport of the Minister, Deputy Eamon Ryan. The Local Link services have been doing really wonderful work in rural areas. We are also looking at a local hackney service as well, so there are a number of different options there whereby we can improve transport for rural areas.

The Deputy mentioned the sustainable development goals and we are very committed to those.

On the Gaeltacht areas, Údarás na Gaeltachta does a good deal of work in that area.

On decentralisation, this is not about buildings but about giving people choices. There are loads of buildings up and down the length of this country, be they old, empty Garda stations or iconic buildings sitting there with nothing happening to them. Thus, there are opportunities there. We have the properties but it is about giving people the choices. I have no doubt but that there is a demand. I have been speaking to many people who have decided they do not want the commute and want more time with their family. It is more environmentally sustainable and people want to stay in their own locality. It is a healthy place to be in when a person leaves home, goes to work, has his or her day's work but he or she does that within his or her own community, rather than sitting on a bus to Dublin. A person from County Monaghan will be on the bus for two hours in the morning and the evening travelling to and from Dublin. That is four hours of the day that person could be spending at home so for some we need this blended approach.

I definitely take the Deputy's point there and note what he said about those particular projects in County Waterford with regard to the RRDF and we can come back to him again about that, offline. I thank the Chair. I tried to be as short as I could.