Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

The northern and western regions have been recognised as regions in transition and I was glad to receive conformation from the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform, Deputy Michael McGrath, that the Northern and Western Regional Assembly will be implementing the relevant funding on behalf of the Government. That is important because we want to see funding targeted at the area. It is also important that local people are involved in that because they know where the funding needs to go and what difficulties need to be addressed.

I am currently working on the rural development policy and hope to have it published by the end of this year or early next year. That is my plan. It is at an advanced stage and will look at things like optimising the opportunities for rural communities through high-speed broadband, supporting improved quality employment and career opportunities in rural areas, assisting the regeneration, repopulation and development of rural towns and villages, and enhancing the participation, leadership and resilience of rural communities.

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