Peter Burke (Longford-Westmeath, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

Thank you for your good wishes, a Cheann Comhairle. This gives me a key opportunity to highlight these issues and to show that this funding is available. I thank Deputy Hourigan for raising the matter and bringing it to our attention.

There is a funding stream within the Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport from which the Covid mobility framework can be drawn down. Essentially, the current mobility funding is approximately €700 million for 2020, so there is a substantial fund available. I encourage all 31 local authorities to access this funding and to think outside the box in terms of what can be available to respond to this challenge. We all acknowledge that it is a significant challenge for business as well. We have changed the way we live and how we go about our daily lives. We can get easy wins by taking advantage of the challenges.

The national planning framework is the roadmap for how towns and villages will be developed in the coming years, right up to 2040, and how the population will be spread through the towns first initiative. There are significant advantages and I thank the Deputy for raising this Topical Issue matter.

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