Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Deputies for their questions. All Government policies are both urban-proofed and rural-proofed because Ireland is both urban and rural. It is wrong to try to set different parts of the country against each other. What has the Government done? It has established a Department of Rural and Community Development, with a dedicated Minister for rural affairs, backed with a fund of €1 billion. A huge investment in rural Ireland is happening through that. We have restored the local improvement scheme and we intend, by the end of the year, to sign the national broadband contract, which will result in a €3 billion investment in rural Ireland, perhaps the greatest investment in rural Ireland since the investment in rural electrification.

Both Deputies were present for the negotiations on the formation of this Government, a Government that is now entering its fourth year, and they chose not to be part of it. They could have had influence but they chose not to have it.

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