Michael Ring (Mayo, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I had the honour of being Minister in the Department of Rural and Community Development. I acknowledge the tremendous work done by the current Minister. She has travelled the country and done a fantastic job. Despite what we sometimes hear from Opposition Members, people in rural Ireland appreciate everything that is being done by her Department. It has provided funding for many groups.

Just today, there was good news for Ballinrobe, a town that needs any kind of development it can get. The Leas-Cheann Comhairle knows that because she knows the town well. Today, the Minister informed me she is able to allocate €278,513 to the town, along with the €4 million-plus she has already allocated. That means €4,873,000 has been allocated to a new arts and civic centre. It is a town that needs development. The community is really behind it. Local people have raised €1 million. I thank the Minister for the additional funding she has allocated today. The project would not have started without the extra money she has given.

As was the case when I was Minister, there are many projects being developed. I understand the Minister will be in Fethard, County Tipperary, next Sunday. I hope Deputy Mattie McGrath and his colleagues will be there to support her. She has put fantastic money into that development by way of a fantastic public private partnership. The community there needed it to be done.

The money given under the town and village renewal scheme, the safe routes to school programme and all the other projects have really helped and supported rural Ireland. I want to put that on record. We are sometimes afraid to say things on the record of the House. There are more people working and living in rural Ireland than there ever have been at any time since the foundation of the State. It is not me or the Government saying that. The figures from the Central Statistics Office, CSO, show it is the case.

All is not bad in rural Ireland. Tomorrow, we will see progress on the €300 million development of the first dual carriageway in the country starting in the west and going to the east.

It is usually starting in the east and coming to the west. That is because this Government and this Minister have provided the funding and have made the decision that they are going to support rural Ireland. There are many projects under way. I know the Leas-Chathaoirleach has an interest in the islands. The Minister launched the Our Living Islands strategy last week. This Government has supported the islands. They should be supported and they need to be supported.

On the money the Minister is giving out, the only complaint I have, and it is a complaint, is that she and her Department and are not selling what they are doing enough. The local authorities could be reacting more and delivering more. They are not delivering. The one thing I ask is for the Department to look to see if there are any other agencies it could work with to deliver the projects. The Department has the money and the local authorities are not spending it. The Department is providing the money. I thank the Minister for that. The dome in Bekan and the velorail that opened in Kiltimagh last week are new initiatives that would not have happened if the funding had not been provided by the Department. The Minister will have my support for the budget. I am saying to the Government, the Taoiseach, my party and the parties in government that we want more responsibility to be given to this Department. The Minister should be in charge of roads and sport, and her Department should be given more funding by Government because she is targeting rural Ireland. We are getting the funding down there. Of course, I could list out ten more things we want done, but we should be highlighting the many developments that are taking place. There are some fantastic developments. The rural regeneration scheme is a fantastic scheme. There are great projects being rolled out all over the country. The Minster should keep up the good work. She has my support. I will be spelling it out later, at the meeting of the parliamentary party, that we want more money for rural development and we want to see the local authorities spending it.

See this speech in context