Éamon Ó Cuív (Galway West, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I have one more question. The CLÁR programme is focused on population loss in the most rural areas and those areas where there has been the highest depopulation since 1926. Will the success of the rural development policies, including CLÁR, be measured against the census figures to see if, compared with the increase nationally, we are getting less population growth or continuing population decline in these areas? I refer to determining whether we have reversed this trend. If we have not, then we are failing because these areas are seriously underpopulated. Again, this matter relates to other Departments, including in the context of planning, etc., but a fair amount could be done by matching funds and ensuring that people have access to clean water, roads and all these basic things that need to be done in these rural areas. Will the Department be checking this metric in respect of the entire purpose for which the CLÁR programme was set up?