Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I certainly do not want to push anybody out of rural areas because I would be the first person to be pushed out. I live in a one-off house in Aghabog, a rural parish in County Monaghan. I am very much aware of the community ethos to which the Deputy referred. Far from seeking to damage our rural parishes and communities, this action plan will support them.

The CLÁR programme is vital for community support. As the Deputy knows, it was his initiative and it certainly is a good programme. It was closed in 2009 and we were delighted to be able to open it up last year. We provided more than €8.5 million under the programme last year with a further €5 million available this year. This is direct investment into parishes and rural areas. We provided more than €7.5 million in rural recreation funding last year and almost €10 million in town and village renewal funding. This is the type of funding that supports some fantastic projects in rural Ireland.

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