Conor McGuinness (Waterford, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the Minister's comments, in particular about the importance of housing, infrastructure and facilities. The previous plan had a very significant focus on digital connectivity. That might have been a product of the time it was put together. The focus must now shift, as my colleague said earlier, with regard to bricks and mortar, and having facilities, homes and infrastructure so that people can live their lives in rural Ireland, raise their children there, and access public services. That must be the focus - be it GP services or the post office network. The Minister understands they are critically important to so many rural communities, as are school places and homes for people to live in.

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