Catherine Connolly (Galway West, Independent) | Oireachtas source

We know that. We have had the Commission for the Economic Development of Rural Areas, CEDRA, report and many Government initiatives. Earlier this year, the Department established a steering group to do exactly what the Minister spoke of. It examined it and concluded the most effective way to do this was to set up a small number of well-planned pilot initiatives that could be delivered and scaled up quickly. Are we disregarding this report? Will we just shred it - I used this language about another report recently - or will we follow it up and publish the criteria by which we will choose the next round of towns and get on with the job? How much did the report cost? Did each town receive the €100,000? If so, that represents a significant investment of €600,000 for six towns. Let us learn from that and, if it was effective, let us roll it out.

See this speech in context