Micheál Martin (Cork South-Central, Fianna Fail)

I propose to take Questions Nos. 20 to 30, inclusive, together.

The Government has established Cabinet committees across a range of policy areas: economy, trade and competitiveness; housing; infrastructure; climate action and energy; disability; health; EU and international affairs; justice, migration and social affairs; water quality; Northern Ireland; and children and education. Issues relating to rural affairs and community development can be discussed, as required, at any of these Cabinet committees, given their relevance to multiple policy areas. As with all policy areas, rural and community development issues are also regularly discussed at full Government meetings, and these are where all formal decisions are made.

The Government continues to invest heavily in rural communities, and support for rural Ireland is a priority across government. The Department of Rural and Community Development’s rural development investment programme is providing unprecedented funding for rural Ireland. In budget 2025, the Government committed a total of €472 million to the Department of Rural and Community Development, the largest allocation since its establishment. This is a clear demonstration of the Government’s continuing commitment to supporting and developing our rural towns, villages and communities right across the country. The range of schemes available support projects in communities all across rural Ireland in areas such as town regeneration, the development of community facilities and the enhancement of our outdoor recreation facilities.

The Government’s policy for sustainable rural development in Ireland is called Our Rural Future: Rural Development Policy 2021–2025. Our Rural Future has been in place for almost five years and has provided vital investment and supports, strengthened local economies and improved the lives of many people across rural Ireland. The scale of this investment ranges from projects with a value of up to €65,000 under schemes such as CLÁR to larger multi-million euro projects under the rural regeneration and development fund. The new programme for Government includes a commitment to publish and implement a new Our Rural Future policy from 2026.

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