Paddy Burke (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the Minister. The plan is finally coming in and it is great that money is being distributed to rural Ireland. I am a big advocate of the one-stop shop. It is very important that people know where to go to get information and how to go about presenting plans. The Minister said she allocated €70 million in recent days and the figure was increased to more than €80 million by matching funds. Will local authorities bring forward all of the plans or will communities do so separately to local authorities? If the latter is the case, I am sure there will be a problem with getting matching funds.

The Minister mentioned Westport, which was a planned town from its inception. It is one of the few planned towns in Ireland. As previous speakers have said, a planner for a town is very important, as is having a plan for a town.

Where do we access information on grants for small retail businesses in rural towns and villages to establish online services to complement their footfall trade? How will it be distributed? Is it coming through this Department or another Department?

I support what has been said with regard to grants for people to buy premises in small towns and renovate them as living accommodation.

Such people should have the same grants available to them as first-time buyers of houses. If I recall correctly, the Chairman said that support amounted to approximately €30,000. People who intend to do up a house in an area with a 30 mph speed limit, or wherever else, should be able to avail of such support as well. There are many broken-down houses and a great deal of unused living accommodation in small towns and villages across the country.

I also agree with Deputy Ó Cuív regarding the credit unions. Nobody knows this better than the Minister. The credit unions should have extra facilities to be able to give out loans for the purchase of houses.