Richard Bruton (Dublin Bay North, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

While the Minister is right that her title refers to rural development, it also refers to community development. Who is looking out for these urban communities if not her Department? It is a gap in Government thinking. If those urban communities do not grow well the hope of compact development with low emissions, and all those things we believe are the future, will struggle. We need to frontload investment into those areas and not do as most Departments do and wait far too long to make that investment. I plead with the Minster to try to take a leadership role in this and maybe elbow some of her compatriots around the Cabinet table to shift their position on this.

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