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

The Action Plan for Rural Development is the first whole-of-Government strategy aimed at people living and working in rural Ireland. It aims to unlock the potential of rural Ireland through a framework of supports at national and local level which will ensure that people who live in rural Ireland have increased opportunities for employment locally and access to public services and social networks that support a high quality of life.

The action plan is an overarching structure for the co-ordination and implementation of initiatives right across Government which will benefit rural Ireland.

It takes a cohesive and co-ordinated approach across the whole of Government to the implementation of economic and social policies that impact on rural communities. The plan contains 276 actions which aim to improve the economic and social fabric of rural Ireland spread across five pillars. Arts and heritage are covered under the fourth pillar of the plan, Fostering Culture and Creativity in Rural Communities. The key objectives of this pillar are to increase access to the arts and enhance cultural facilities in rural communities, further develop and enhance culture and creativity in rural Ireland through the establishment of culture teams and creativity hubs as part of the Creative Ireland programme and promote the Irish language as a key resource in Gaeltacht and other rural communities. These objectives will be delivered as part of the work programme across my Department, in particular, as part of the Creative Ireland programme which the Taoiseach and I launched in December.

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