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

I thank Deputy Connolly. I will address the issue on LEADER in response to a later question. No islander is putting us under pressure to get this done. What they are putting us under pressure for is a policy document with actions that will deliver and make a difference to their lives. This is what they tell us. I will get the draft submitted to me by the end of the year. The next step will be that I go through it because I have to make sure that I am happy with it. Much work has gone into it. What is most important is that there are policies and actions to underpin how the policies will be delivered. Every Department must buy-in and commit. It is across Government and we have put a large amount of work into working with officials from other Departments. When they say they will do something in various areas, whether housing, which I know is a big issue on the islands, education or health services, I want them to be very clear on what they have to do so we can hold them to account and make sure they deliver.

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