Eamon Ryan (Dublin Bay South, Green Party) | Oireachtas source

We could use both. More rural houses should have electric car connections. As electric vehicles start to be suitable for longer distances, their range will not be a problem. If the oil-fired central heating in such houses were replaced with heat pumps and proper exterior insulation were put in place, and if the people in those houses were using electric vehicles, we would start to have high-quality housing that is part of the green solution. We need to have that sort of ambition for every single Irish rural house. Such houses should be properly insulated and should have electric vehicle charging points. People living in one-off rural houses have to drive. The electrical systems in such houses should be connected to the local power supply. It is important for people to see their own local power supplies. All of this is doable. It is not pie in the sky. It is already happening in smart countries that have a bit of strategic vision and leadership, which is what we need.

The last, but not least, of the four areas in which employment can be created is in the digital transformation. Everyone else has spoken about the need for broadband. I might reflect on the other side of the equation, which is how that broadband should be used. I was distraught last night when I heard the Minister, Deputy Naughten, say he does not want be involved in "another PPARS or another e-voting machine fiasco". I do not know whether those words were written by the Department or by the Minister. I fear they were written by the Department. I suspect that people in the public administrative system have developed such a fear of any innovative digital application that the lesson is "whatever you do, do nothing". Public servants are advised not to take any risks or chances with the development of the use and application of digital technologies.

I knew the bank in Schull very well. I knew the people who used to manage it. I regret very much that it is gone. I regret that the position is the same in Goleen, in all points in between and in pretty much most of west Cork. We have to turn that terrible disadvantage into an advantage by developing new mobile banking applications and the latest and smartest modern technology to replace the old bricks-and-mortar system, which will not come back easily. We have an opportunity to develop a really advanced financial and banking service for rural Ireland, probably through the post office system. I would like it to be a public banking system. I met people from the German Sparkasse group today. They have been knocking on the door here for three years. They have the most intelligent banking proposal going. It is vital for the development of rural Ireland. Its simple key premise, on which none of the other banks can deliver, is that the deposits raised in a certain region or local community should be reinvested and loaned into that same local area. These guys are professional bankers. They go back to the sort of banking I knew about, where the local manager had a good knowledge of his local people. That sort of modern, inventive and innovative application, which is based on digital solutions, can help us to move to a public banking model with high technology capability. It is well suited to the world we live in today. Such strategic plans are needed.

If the Minister, Deputy Ring, does one thing in his new job, which does not have a huge budget, he should take the Minister, Deputy Donohoe, aside and sit him down with the German bankers I have mentioned. Their model can apply here. Irish people like Séamus Boland of Irish Rural Link have been working with them for the past two or three years. That one project alone would transform the rural economy. I will explain how this can work. It is important to appreciate that we are not just talking about rural areas; we are also talking about the development of towns. Deputy Harty said that towns in County Clare are booming and doing well. I would suggest that some are and some are not. I know them reasonably well. They are not doing as well as they could. I will not refer to Gort because it is in County Galway. Is Kilrush booming? It is not. We need Kilrush to thrive. It is a beautiful town, with typically stunning 19th century architecture and a stunning location. Why is it not thriving? This is about the towns more than anything else. If all of these digital systems are ultimately to thrive, towns like Kilrush need to have the best schools in the country. I am sure Kilrush has one of the best schools in the country. I have no knowledge of the school in question.

Every one of the towns I am talking about needs to be a centre of excellence. The children in those towns should go to the best educational establishments that can found. A bit of scale is needed if that is to be possible. Bigger schools give kids a certain chance. They meet more people. They have different subject choices. There is more of a mix, which is something that is needed as part of the education system. I think we need to get that right. The towns of rural Ireland need to be developed. We need to get people back living in the towns. I understand that no one is living on Main Street in Schull.

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