Ms Bairbre Nic Aongusa:

I thank the committee for the invitation to appear before it today to speak about the development of a national policy for the islands. I am joined today by my colleague, Bríd Ní Chonghaile, assistant principal in the Department’s islands unit.

Offshore islands and their communities are an integral part of the fabric of rural Ireland. The islands are also home to some of our most vibrant and culturally distinctive communities. They are an integral part of the State’s heritage and have a special significance in Irish culture.

It is 23 years since the most recent national policy for the islands was published. The intervening years have seen significant progress in improving services and facilities on the islands. Greatly improved ferry services and pier and road improvements are particularly notable. However, Irish society and lifestyles have also changed significantly since then. People’s expectations are higher and there is a demand from island communities to facilitate their efforts and aspirations to retain the next generation of islanders and to help overcome the challenging issues that arise from their separation from the mainland.

The commitment to develop a cross-government islands policy was a key commitment in the programme for Government. The Government’s ambition regarding a national policy and action plan for the islands was set out in chapter 10 of Our Rural Future, the action plan for rural development for the period from 2021 to 2025, published in April of this year. The key objective of the new islands policy will be to ensure our offshore islands continue to support sustainable and vibrant communities. Related to this objective is an ambition that visitors would continue to have opportunities to experience and appreciate the unique culture, heritage and environmental richness the islands have to offer.

The challenges affecting our islands are similar in many ways to those experienced in the rest of rural Ireland, whether they relate to employment opportunities, access to services or the social and economic impact of Covid-19. However, these challenges can be even more pronounced on the islands due to their geographical isolation and separation from the mainland. In addition, as anyone who has visited the islands can attest, island communities are challenged by the practical issues of access to and from the mainland.

One of the main challenges for island communities, and for Government in responding to them, is that issues relating to the islands comprise functions of 14 different Departments and their associated agencies. Island development, similar to rural development, is therefore a whole-of-government concern and requires a whole-of-government response. With this in mind, the Government established an interdepartmental committee with a mandate to develop a cross-government policy for island development.

From the outset, the committee recognised the crucial importance of obtaining input from island communities through a comprehensive consultation process. In December 2019, a consultation paper was prepared with input from the participating Departments to act as a basis to advance the development of the islands policy. It was agreed that officials from the Department would visit the islands in the initial stage of the consultation process, engaging directly with the communities and, where applicable, with the local development group or comharchumann representatives.

Public meetings were organised on 11 islands, planned to take place from January to April 2020. However, due to the risks posed by the emergence of Covid-19, the Department was obliged to temporarily suspend the consultation process. To address the situation, online meetings were subsequently arranged with focus groups from the remaining islands. Islanders who could not attend consultation meetings were encouraged to send written submissions to the Department.

The submissions and questionnaires completed by islanders at the island consultation meetings held publicly in 2020, as well as submissions sent directly to the Department, have been collated. What has emerged from the data is that, while many of the islands have individual or specific issues, a number of themes are common across the islands. The main issues highlighted in the consultation meetings related to education, health, housing and planning, employment, broadband, transport and access to services.

The data gained from the consultation process have provided a useful basis for informing the bilateral discussions with colleagues in Departments and agencies, which are now in progress. So far, bilateral meetings have been held with 12 Departments. During these meetings, the key issues raised by island communities relating to the particular Department’s remit are outlined and possible measures or actions which could be included in a national policy or action plan are explored. Meetings with the two remaining Departments have been scheduled for the coming weeks. It is also intended to meet with the HSE, Údarás na Gaeltachta, Enterprise Ireland and the education and training boards.

The inclusion of the islands function under the remit of the Department of Rural and Community Development since July 2020 has enabled a more integrated and cohesive approach to rural and community policy development for island communities and their economies. This closer policy alignment with the Department’s suite of programmes that support community development, rural economic development and digital innovation is yielding dividends on a number of fronts and will become more apparent as the national islands policy is developed. The Department has a strong track record of developing innovative policies and strategies in consultation with communities and stakeholder groups.

The five-year strategy for community and voluntary sector, Sustainable, Inclusive and Empowered Communities, published in 2019; the National Volunteering Strategy published in December 2020; and Our Rural Future, published in April 2021 were all based on close and continued consultation and collaboration with the relevant communities and stakeholder groups. Our approach to the development of the new national policy for the islands will be no different.

The island representative bodies, island development companies and the island co-operatives have been very effective over the years in supporting their communities and raising their issues of concern with the Government. We see these groups as key stakeholders in the development of the island policy and we are committed to engaging with them as the work progresses.

The most recent meeting of the interdepartmental committee, which I now chair, was held on 30 June. It was attended by representatives of Comhdháil Oileáin na hÉireann who gave a comprehensive presentation on the challenges faced by island communities. They also outlined their perspective on the many potential opportunities for island development which currently exist. Above all, they stressed to us the importance of taking the time to get the policy right, and allowing for further consultation with island representatives before the policy is finalised. The Department has since taken these views on board. While the original intention had been to publish the policy by the end of this year, we now accept that it will take somewhat longer. We have also indicated our intention to facilitate further engagement between Comhdháil Oileáin na hÉireann and the interdepartmental committee. A further meeting of the committee is planned for November.

Our intention, as signalled in Our Rural Future, is to develop a ten-year policy which will identify and address the main challenges and opportunities for our island communities and determine measures to support their social, economic and cultural development in the longer term. The policy will set out high level objectives and will be accompanied by more detailed three-year action plans incorporating actions relating to improving connectivity, transport links, education, job creation and fully exploiting the potential for tourism on our islands.

Overall, our vision is that the policy development process will lead to the agreement of a number of objectives across all policy areas to support, promote and empower our island communities. Implementation of the policy, through the three-year action plans, will improve the quality of life of island communities by fully taking into account the unique context of each island and by developing a system of reporting and review that will promote accountability. As noted in Our Rural Future, this new islands policy will be the first focused policy initiative for the islands for more than 20 years. It will focus on providing new opportunities for islanders and building sustainable futures for island communities. It will be developed in consultation with island communities and with input from across the whole of the Government to provide a blueprint for sustainable island development that will safeguard our island communities for generations to come.

We welcome the views of the committee as a valuable input into the policy development process and we look forward to the discussion today. We are very happy to answer any questions the committee may have agus táimid beirt breá sásta ceisteanna a fhreagairt i nGaeilge agus i mBéarla. Go raibh míle maith agaibh.