Johnny Mythen (Wexford, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Rural Independent Group for bringing this important topic to the floor of the House. Over the past few years, we have seen vast changes in rural Ireland, including the closing of small post offices and rural Garda stations. An array of bureaucratic rules and regulations foisted on our farming communities are taking their toll. There is not a parish in my constituency that has not seen at least a third of its young folk leaving for foreign shores, some unfortunately never to return. Planning laws must be reviewed. They must be fair and a more sympathetic view must be taken, to allow our young rural generation to live and work in their natural surroundings and environment. It is astonishing that young farmers who want to carry on working on the family farm are refused planning permission to build on their own land. This is obviously a major threat to the sustainability and preservation of rural communities and is a major factor in discouraging young people to settle down and rear a family as was the tradition through many generations.

We believe rural Ireland is under enormous economic and social pressure. Our rural fishing communities are being neglected. Infrastructure on piers and harbours has been neglected for years. This year the market for shellfish and lobster fell through the floor, while at the same time quotas for mackerel and herring were diminished, yet there was no help from the Government. Rural Ireland's transport system needs a complete overhaul. Public transport and connectivity are vital to rural communities. This is very important for small villages and towns but it is non-existent in most rural areas. In my own county of Wexford our rural roads are in poor condition. We have the highest number of secondary roads in Ireland yet, year after year, there has been no additional funding. In fact, officials state that this crisis in our public roads has existed for over 30 years yet it has never been addressed or acknowledged. We are calling on the Minister of State once and for all to publish the guidelines for rural and local development, which are long overdue.

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