Ms Martina Earley:

I work at European level with a lot of projects and I am very supportive of the fact that the Government has a dedicated rural development Department and a rural social scheme. We are seen as a leading light in Europe for rural development. This policy is proof of that. I call on the committee to maximise our involvement and engagement so that the best policy is delivered for rural Ireland. We are here and we feel we are an underutilised resource. We are very much open to involvement. I again thank the committee for the engagement.