Martin Heydon (Kildare South, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I am sharing time with Deputy English.

I thank the Minister for her leadership, energy and enthusiasm, which are evident in her 15-minute statement. As a Deputy who was first elected to this House in 2011, the greatest charge against me from the Opposition benches, as a rural-based Government backbencher from 2011 to 2016, was that we were seeing the death of rural Ireland. Nobody is saying that any more. The change can be directly traced back to the establishment of the Minister's Department and the significant focus successive governments have put on investing in rural Ireland. That has led to the benefits she outlined. I will touch on some of the particular benefits I am familiar with, but she has already articulated them clearly.

I welcome the opportunity to speak about rural Ireland and how the Government is investing in rural communities as more people than ever choose to live and work in them. Rural Ireland is always changing and evolving. There are many examples of this in my constituency of Kildare South. I refer to one in particular. In 2018, two of my nearest post offices, in the villages of Moone and Narraghmore, closed after the two long-standing postmasters retired following a lifetime of service to the local communities. There was understandable concern among people in the communities, which were raised in meetings locally that I attended. The most common question was not, "Where will I buy my stamp?" It was, "Where will I meet my neighbours?" That reflects the sense of what was being lost with the closure of the post offices.

The Old Hardware community-run project in Narraghmore, which the Minister has visited, is a model of how the system of Government support is empowering local communities. A single town and village renewal grant of just €80,000 from her Department enabled the local community to lease and renovate the building that was previously Kelly's Hardware before it closed in around 2005. The committee of 40 volunteers run the café on a not-for-profit basis and it is thriving, so much so that the local publican was encouraged to invest heavily during the Covid period in doing up her establishment and turning it into a gastropub. This is a rural pub that might otherwise have fallen into decline.

Kildare County Council recognised all this activity in the vicinity of Narraghmore. With some encouragement, it undertook a significant upgrading of the village's public realm, which is due to be completed later this year. This is a perfect example of how support from the Minister and her Department can be leveraged to deliver so much more. The small initial grant delivered hugely for the people of this community, who wanted to make things better for themselves. To take that to the next level, we need to support social enterprises such as those in Narraghmore and Moone in their application for support under the community services programme, CSP. Demand for that programme is very high and more money needs to be put towards it. Such is the success of the projects in both Narraghmore and Moone, they are now in the position of needing to hire and pay staff. They will need support in doing that. These projects are the ultimate example of social enterprises we have fostered and encouraged and which we now need to support to the next level. We also have a duty to make vital services such as schools, public transport links and healthcare available to support these thriving communities and ensure rural Ireland remains a great place in which to live, work and raise a family.

In my brief as Minister of State in the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, I see the important role the agrifood sector has played in delivering employment opportunities in rural communities. I have visited many of these businesses. Tirlán's new plant in Belview will deliver 80 jobs and support 4,500 farm families who supply the cheese plant. Dairymaster's manufacturing headquarters in Causeway, County Kerry, employs almost 400 people. Driving across the beautiful hills of north Kerry, this amazing factory just appears before you. It is remarkable how the family who owns it has built the business up from very humble beginnings. Closer to my home, a world leader in food innovation, Kerry Group, employs 900 highly qualified people in Naas, which has brought additional economic activity to the county. The 164,000 jobs in the sector and the billions of euro in economic activity in rural communities are made possible by a strong agricultural sector and our long-standing traditions in food production.

As Minister of State, I have seen at first hand the really positive role food hubs have played in a number of counties and communities. Having opened one in Firies, County Kerry, a number of years ago, I was determined to see such a facility developed in my county. We in south Kildare have a very proud tradition of having some of the best agricultural land in the country and many traditional industries spinning off from that. This is particularly true in the Athy area, where Minch Malt produced so much malt and barley for Diageo. The decision by Diageo to build its new net-zero brewery in Kildare is directly associated with those strong linkages. The food hub in Athy is a model that can help in enabling small indigenous food businesses to spring up. I am delighted to have received confirmation from the Minister today that an application from the Athy food hub project for increased funding due to rising costs has been approved. It is being allocated an additional €830,000, bringing the total contribution from the Department of Rural and Community Development to €5.1 million for this incredibly important project in south Kildare.

The Athy food hub will deliver a space where food innovators and artisan producers can skill up their businesses in a bespoke environment, collaborate with each other, connect with local food producers and break into new markets, creating jobs and economic activity across south Kildare. Today's decision allows the Athy food hub project to go to tender, with construction hopefully commencing later this year. It is another great example of this Government's commitment to invest in rural communities. I look forward to seeing the tremendous benefits of this for our community.

To take another example across south Kildare, the Barrow Blueway project that initially got a €5 million allocation from the Department of Rural and Community Development is almost now complete. The blueway is a 46 km track along the Grand Canal Barrow line from Lowtown and Robertstown to Rathangan through Monasterevin and Athy. In Kildare, we suffer from a perception of affluence at times. People think that everyone in Kildare owns a racehorse. We have Kerry Group, Intel and Pfizer, and people think we are grand. That means that where there are pockets that are not thriving and where there are communities where there is a higher level of deprivation, it is difficult to get that level of support and economic activity. South-west Kildare is an area that has felt left behind for some time, but the economic boost that is coming from the Barrow Blueway down the line is really palpable for all to feel. That €5 million investment is going to have been the best State investment that I think we could have made in south Kildare. Coupled with the remote working strategy and our national broadband plan, we are delivering to ensure that rural Ireland continues to be a great place to live, work and visit. Long may that continue.

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