Peadar Tóibín (Meath West, Aontú) | Oireachtas source

I do not think the Minister is getting to the nub of the question at all. The issue is that the EU has downgraded the north-west region as a lagging region. The EU has said that as a result of falling GDP per capitain those areas compared with the rest of the country, places like Galway, Roscommon, Leitrim, Sligo, Donegal, Monaghan and Mayo face increasing challenges. That is happening under the Minister's watch. GDP is falling in these areas, which is damning. The gap between the north and west region and the national average is now estimated to be three times higher than it was a decade ago. What I mean by social welfare for rural Ireland is that the current approach is not fixing the problem. It is handing out money here and there but it is not getting to the core issue. I know of many people who tell me that kids want to live in those areas but cannot get planning permission. What happens is that schools and services start to close. I know farmers are leaving the land because prices are too low to be able to raise families in these locations.

The EU has said that underinvestment in key infrastructure is leading to regional inequality. These areas want good transport infrastructure, communications infrastructure, education facilities and telecommunication facilities so that they can do business. That is still missing from the Government's plans.

See this speech in context