Eoin Hayes (Dublin Bay South, Social Democrats)

I thank the delegates for attending and giving us this briefing. It is very helpful for us to understand everything. I realise it takes some time to prepare for such meetings.

I welcome everybody in the Gallery. Perhaps this is not the sexiest topic for people from college but it is really important. Rural Ireland, in particular, has been left behind by successive Governments over many years. I am a Dublin-based TD, so many people watching at home might be wondering why I am speaking about this. Like many people in Dublin, I have many family members and friends from rural Ireland. My parents are from rural Ireland, and my grandmother was born in Ballina, where the Department has an office. Therefore, I am very familiar with the place.

I acknowledge the work the officials do, in addition to that of the rural TDs who have spoken so eloquently about rural issues. There are many challenges and some very difficult issues. I am reminded that, in 1840, there were 8 million people on this island, which is more than there are today. That was under British rule. Many of the villages were thriving back then. We can see today that there is the issue of dereliction and of rural communities being left behind. We need to do much better.

We have talked a little about joined-up thinking and co-ordination across many Departments in respect of housing and infrastructure, and also the role of Uisce Éireann. I acknowledge that this co-ordination is critical but I want to focus a little more on the Department’s role and charter. In the first instance, I want to raise the issue of economic development in rural communities and how we can do it well. There are success stories that I examined. Westport is probably a good example, and that is because of the multinational presence. The Bandon–Kinsale area has also benefited from multinationals. I would like to hear some commentary from the delegates on working with IDA Ireland, Enterprise Ireland and all the various agencies to attract high-quality employment to rural areas. Could they also refer to how remote working may be changing the nature of work in rural communities and their capacity to stay in them?

It was stated there is about €20 million in funding for the RRDF. I want to get a better sense of the total funding being put into economic and rural development at a wider level. The sum of €20 million is good, and I am glad to see it, but in general the enormity of the problem, particularly in rural communities, is such that it merits a significantly larger amount. I would like to get a sense from the Department of how it approaches that.

I am quite concerned about men’s health, including their mental health. I will be talking about this later today and also about loneliness. I have been doing a lot of research on it. Rural loneliness is particularly acute, not just among older people but also younger people. When I spoke to some young people from SpunOut who came here to lobby Oireachtas Members, there was a young girl who was talking about her brother. She said he did not really drink, so he did not go to the pub, and did not play any sport, so he did not go to the GAA club like the rest of his schoolmates. Where does he go? There is a question to be asked about what social outlets and developments exist, particularly for young people in rural communities, to ensure people are connected.

I endorse the Department’s perspective and that of the OECD on there being layers of agencies. Probably the most stunning part of becoming a new TD is understanding the various bureaucracies that exist. Clarifying the responsibilities and the focus of public administration to solve some of the problems is a huge issue. There is an enormous responsibility on the political system to figure it out. Too often politicians point to there being so many agencies, civil servants and public sector workers but it is stunning how much the latter get done given the dysfunction in the political system. I acknowledge that but we have a genuine responsibility to do more in this regard.

If the delegates could revert to me on economic development and connectedness, I would appreciate it.