Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

When the re-establishment of a Department of community and rural affairs was announced three weeks ago, no details were provided on what its responsibilities would be. There has since been near-complete silence. In the Taoiseach's leadership manifesto there is very little detail on rural affairs, with the programme simply promising to implement existing policies. It is clear that the Department of Deputy Michael Ring will be significantly smaller than that of its predecessor before it was abolished by Fine Gael six years ago. I believe that was an incorrect decision. Development schemes for the Gaeltacht and the islands have been left to the Department of Arts, Heritage, Regional, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs, under Deputy Heather Humphreys. Nothing appears to have moved from the Department of the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment, Deputy Denis Naughten. Drugs policy is remaining under the Department of Health. The last point indicates a highly regressive move and decision. In the past two decades the major progress made in drugs policy was based on working with communities, partnerships and task forces in various areas, both urban and rural, through development work and schemes, particularly for young people at risk. That was a far more effective way of dealing with drugs policy and implementing a draft strategy than operating singularly through the Department of Health.

On Leader programme funding, the last Government performed a desperate deed against rural communities by savaging the Leader programme and taking autonomy away from leadership groups and subsuming it under the county council. It is now bedevilled by over-regulation and bureaucracy such that the reduced funds available to it cannot be drawn down by many of the groups involved.

The implementation of broadband policy has been an absolute failure in rural areas. I echo what what has been said about the challenges facing fisheries and agriculture arising from Brexit. These are two of the main economic pillars of rural areas.

See this speech in context