Michael Ring (Mayo, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Deputies for raising the issue. The comments of the former chairman of the WDC have received much attention in the past week, arising from a letter he copied to all Members of this House. In his letter, the former chairman contends that there is no commitment to balanced regional development or any plan to redress rural decline.

Nothing could be further from the truth. Regional and rural development is a key priority for the Government, as reflected in the many commitments in the Programme for a Partnership Government to support regional and rural progress. Significant developments in this regard include the publication of the action plan for rural development in January of this year, which represents the first ever whole-of-Government approach to the economic and social development of rural Ireland.

The plan contains more than 270 firm commitments across a range of Departments, State agencies and other bodies to improve the social and economic development of rural Ireland. These are firm actionable commitments for delivery within a specified timeframe and with the bodies responsible for delivery clearly identified. This action plan is about delivery; it is not a piece of academic work to be left on the shelf. The plan has been widely welcomed, including by Pat Spillane, who was chairman of the CEDRA group, and is now acting as an ambassador for the plan.

Good progress has been already made on delivering the action plan, including in my own Department through the launch of initiatives such as the town and village renewal scheme, the CLÁR programme, the outdoor recreation infrastructure scheme and capital grants for local arts and cultural centres.

I have also established a task force to progress the concept of an Atlantic economic corridor along the western seaboard. The forthcoming national planning framework, which is being co-ordinated on behalf of the Government by the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government, Deputy Coveney, will be also a significant milestone in the planning for long-term effective and balanced regional development.

On a national radio programme last week, the presenter put it to the former chairman of the Western Development Commission that the body is involved in the monitoring of action plan for rural development, the action plans for jobs for the west and north west regions, the Atlantic economic corridor task force and in assisting my Department with preparations for Brexit.

In response, the former chairman stated that quite a bit of what was read out was new to him and that he had not heard it before. This is in spite of the fact that the acting CEO of the WDC and other staff of the commission have been actively engaged in all of the initiatives I have outlined. All of this would suggest that the former chairman has not been keeping up with developments in the organisation he had chaired.

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