Thomas Pringle (Donegal South West, Independent) | Oireachtas source

With Dublin making up 42% of Ireland's GDP, there is a need to restructure and rebalance regional development and ensure that other rural parts of Ireland can compete with Dublin, never mind internationally.

I will focus on two aspects the Minister mentioned. On the village renewal scheme in rural Ireland, the plan provides for Exchequer funding of €5 million in the budget but that amounts to about €200,000 per local authority. That level of funding for each local authority is hardly what one would class as a significant investment that would help to regenerate rural areas.

On the broadband plan, it is vitally important that the roll out of the broadband plan targets the most disadvantaged areas, the regions and the most distant areas first to try to give them some chance to play catch-up over the coming years. I ask the Minister to focus on that when he is talking to the Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources about it.

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