Michael Ring (Mayo, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I am glad that Kieran Mulvey has been appointed the just transition commissioner because that is a good move. I worked with him when he chaired a task force about inner city Dublin and he did a tremendous job. The Government went on to support the particular project that the task force came up with.

My Department provides rural regeneration and development funding. We gave €1.2 million for the upgrade of Emo Court, €1 million for the Barrow blueway, €1.2 million for the regeneration of Edgeworthstown, €2.8 million for the historic Granard Motte project and €1.6 million for the mountain bike trails in the Slieve Bloom Mountains. We have an available fund of €1 billion over ten years.

My Department is flexible and will examine where there is a need and a demand. I have not allowed, and will not allow, my Department to only deal with a particular area but instead to deal with the whole of rural Ireland. Funding needs to address specific needs and cases and must be targeted at areas that have suffered and neither I nor my Department will be found wanting in that regard.

It is only right that we look at ways and means to support the midlands. I know that the ways in which the areas that Deputy Stanley represents are suffering, as does Deputy Calleary. I was a Member of this House when Bellacorick faced a similar problem. Crossmolina, Belmullet and other such areas all suffered from the closure of the power station down there. I know exactly from where Deputy Stanley is coming. An all-of-Government approach has been put in place to respond and it is vital that this be adhered to.

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