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

In response to Deputy Matthews, absolutely; it is so important to see the value of the skill set of those people who are delivering services to the local authority. I recently visited Tipperary County Council, where the county architect, Mr. Liam Ryan, took me through a number of developments. I could see first-hand his input and imprint and how he changed developments to make them much more sustainable and a lot more suitable for the citizens in the area. It is absolutely important. We lost many skills from our local authorities through the post-recessionary period. We really have to drive those back. The Deputy also referenced the planning system. The Local Government Management Agency is overseeing that process.

As for our Towns Centre First initiative, there will be proposals before Cabinet in November and that is progressing well.

We are updating the rural planning guidelines and we have to have a robust mechanism to ensure that through our Town Centres First initiative, there will be strong options for people to reside in towns and villages throughout the country. The Deputy acknowledged and understands the demand for rural housing on the other side of the coin.

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