Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)

I move:

That Dáil Éireann notes the failure of the current Government to fulfil the commitments made in the White Paper on Rural Development:

—to maintain vibrant sustainable rural communities;

—to ensure sufficient employment and income opportunities;

—to improve access to education and training;

—to encourage participation in the decision-making process;

—to ensure gender balance on rural development bodies such as Leader and CLÁR;

—to provide adequate housing and to address the problem of planning permission;

—to promote all-Ireland integration and co-operation;

—to ensure balanced regional development;

—to maintain public services;

—to provide adequate health care provision;

—to provide broadband communications for all parts of the State;

—to ensure the safety of people living in rural communities by providing adequate levels of policing; and

that these failures require a radical new approach to the question of rural development on the whole island of Ireland that will guarantee an equal level of provision of public services for all citizens and will ensure that there is real decentralisation of both the public and private sectors and that local and regional authorities with community representatives are given a greater say in the manner in which local programmes are administered.

I wish to share my time with Deputies Morgan, Twomey, Connolly and Boyle.

I commend the motion to the House and welcome the opportunity to debate the future of rural Ireland. Some of these issues have been addressed many times in the Dáil but the crucial focus in the motion presented by the Sinn Féin Deputies is that communities in rural Ireland must be given the capacity to address the problems they face and plan their future development.

It is appropriate that, as we prepare to elect new local authorities, we call for real decentralisation of governmental power as an essential means of empowering rural communities. This does not just mean the relocation of Government offices from Dublin, it also means the real empowerment of local government. This is especially important for many of our marginalised and neglected rural communities, particularly in the Border, midlands and western region.

According to the Central Statistics Office, farm incomes in real terms have fallen by almost 25% since 1995. This, in combination with current debt levels of €1.1 billion, has made it increasingly difficult for many family farms to survive. More than 30,000 people have left farming since the beginning of the 1990s. The majority of these have been smaller producers and this has had a malign and, in some cases, devastating effect on rural communities. It has made it more difficult for local businesses to survive and it has not been compensated for by an increase in other jobs in sufficient numbers to offset the recent increases in unemployment.

The main reason for the real fall in farm incomes has been the declining share that farmers receive from the products they sell. While input prices have risen considerably in recent years, output prices have fallen by almost 10%. Of the food that farmers produce, a greater share of the price paid by consumers goes to the retailer, with the market now dominated by the multiples. It is not unusual for farmers to receive 30%, 25% or even 20% of the price the consumer pays.

With this market domination has come increased demands on producers by the multiples and processors, including farmers having to deliver their produce, often long distances. This is an argument for a return to real co-operativism to enable farmers to secure the best price for their produce and to limit the power of the multiples. Sinn Féin has proposed that there be a revival of farmers' markets for the same reason and to ensure better value for both farmer and consumer. We need to support and encourage the promotion of Irish agricultural produce and to see country of origin labelling on all imported beef, poultry, pork and vegetables.

Of course, rural communities are not exclusively based on farming, as the Minister is aware, but it is important that agriculture remains strong and vibrant and provides employment and the basis for other rural jobs, such as processing. If the EU is committed, as it claims, to maintaining the European model of agriculture based on family farming, measures must be taken to ensure that the current drift from the land is halted. In the context of the current reform of the CAP, that must mean that decoupling provides farmers with a guaranteed income and that the Irish Government develops new strategies to take best advantage of the new situation facing farmers.

It must also mean that the funds taken away from direct payments through modulation are ring-fenced within the country from which they originate and that they are made to directly benefit the farmers from whom the funds are taken. These funds should be used here in Ireland for rural development. It is also important that the EU expand its programme of rural development programmes beyond the measures currently designated and that more funding goes to support programmes such as Leader which have a community based approach.

Sinn Fein's argument is that every person, no matter where they live, ought to be entitled to an equal level of access to and provision of public services, be they health, transport, education, post offices or banking. The reality for many rural communities is very different. Many of these services are either non-existent or have been withdrawn from these communities. That is clearly illustrated by the health crisis within the regions. The loss of services at local hospitals must be seen as part of the avoidable decline of rural Ireland, a decline for which the Government is responsible. Monaghan and Louth hospitals have been targeted. Under the Hanly report further hospitals will go under the knife. The reference to health in the Government amendment cannot hide that reality. In the area of health there are relatively minor administrative measures that could be taken to integrate ambulance services so that people could be taken to the nearest available hospital rather than having to travel longer distances that might place them in greater danger.

There has been some progress under the PEACE I and II programmes towards integrating and developing Border communities. One of the main defects was that there was no linkage between the two. PEACE I and II have been over-centralised, which contradicts the EU's commitment to bottom-up development with local delivery and local communities taking charge. There were also numerous problems regarding the slow rate at which applications were processed and the difficulties that many groups had in navigating their way through that before being able to access resources. It was felt that this favoured business oriented rather than community projects. The Minister spoke about this in the past.

That is the reason Sinn Féin has argued for a PEACE III programme and for it to address the defects that were identified in PEACE I and PEACE II. It should be expanded from five to seven years to allow for a more strategic approach and to be directed from community level with a more direct input from local representatives. Other practical ways in which the cross-Border development of rural communities can be enhanced is through promoting a common approach to service provision and to initiatives designed to boost the economic and social aspects.

We have also been pressing for the introduction of free travel on an all-Ireland basis for the elderly. While the Department on this side of the Border has indicated that it is favourable to this and has discussed the issue with those responsible in the Six Counties now that the institutions have been suspended, its British counterpart has informed one of my colleagues in Fermanagh that no such discussions took place. Perhaps the Minister will address this matter. Unfortunately, it appears to be indicative of an attitude towards the development of cross-Border initiatives that is all too common.

The closure of several Teagasc research facilities is another way in which the current Government has impacted negatively on rural development. Apart from the immediate job losses that these closures entail, they also affect the prospects of promoting agricultural production where specific local research is brought to an end. A prime example of this is the current situation regarding the dairy centre at Ballinamore in County Leitrim. Not only will the closure of the facility affect local jobs in a county where there is above average unemployment but it will also bring to an end important research into local production systems in the north-west. This could have had major benefits to farmers on both sides of the Border who share the same soil type as in that part of Leitrim. The same has taken place at other Teagasc centres and this calls into question the Government's commitment to developing improved production methods, especially in disadvantaged parts of the country.

The Government is also abandoning its commitments in the area of community based policing. Only last week the Minister, Deputy McDowell, spoke about closing more Garda stations in rural and urban areas. This often has a particularly marked impact on rural communities where people see the withdrawal of local gardaí as another form of abandonment by the State. People, especially the elderly, in isolated rural areas feel vulnerable in the absence of a visible and known Garda presence. Unfortunately, there have been instances where people have been attacked in their homes and they found it difficult to get assistance and felt that the often long distances to the nearest Garda station increased the likelihood of crime in the locality.

Sinn Féin proposes that this problem can be addressed through the establishment of community policing partnerships. These would comprise elected representatives, appointees of local statutory agencies and representatives of the community and voluntary sector. The partnerships would meet regularly with the Garda and ensure that a greater level of accountability, confidence and, above all, trust is nurtured and guaranteed into the future.

I have addressed some of the issues covered by tonight's motion. My colleagues, during the rest of the debate this evening and again tomorrow, will address further elements of the motion. I commend to the House the motion and the individual proposals contained therein.

See this speech in context