Seán Canney (Galway East, Independent) | Oireachtas source

We are very satisfied that departmental funding and policies are making a positive difference to communities. Many vibrant towns and villages across Ireland are gaining and one can see that positive changes are happening. Evidence of our impact can be seen in the growing opportunities for employment creation and improved quality of life across rural Ireland. Funding for rural development, town and village renewal and community support schemes is just one of noteworthy examples. Once schemes are put in place, they are reviewed on an annual basis in order to ensure the public money being provided is delivering the required outcomes. There is not a town, village or community in any of the 31 local authority areas that has not benefited in some way from the schemes being run by my Department. All morning we have been talking about various departmental schemes, including the LIS. There is a need for more support, particularly for the LIS, from the Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport and local authorities so as to ensure we will leave nobody behind.

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