Michael Fitzmaurice (Roscommon-Galway, Independent)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

I will be sharing my time with Deputy Anne Rabbitte.

I thank the Ceann Comhairle for the opportunity to raise this issue. As I am sure the Minister of State is aware, in the past week we heard of the shock announcement that the chairman of the Western Development Commission is resigning.

Michael Ring (Mayo, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

That is not true.

Michael Fitzmaurice (Roscommon-Galway, Independent)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

He is not seeking reappointment.

Michael Ring (Mayo, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

That is the thing; he did not resign.

Michael Fitzmaurice (Roscommon-Galway, Independent)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

Fair enough.

Michael Ring (Mayo, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

The Deputy should get it clear.

Michael Fitzmaurice (Roscommon-Galway, Independent)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

He will not seek reappointment because he is frustrated with what is going on.

From coverage on local radio stations, the Minister of State will have heard of Mr. Paddy McGuinness's frustration. Based on what he has seen in recent years, he believes there is no commitment from Government. If this were coming from somebody who had been giving out about things down through the years, it would not raise an eyebrow. However, this is coming from a person who has a passion for rural Ireland and wants to see things happening. He has worked with politicians and I believe he was involved in the Minister of State's party at one stage. Would that be fair to say? He has the belief that rural Ireland can be revamped. However, the statements we have read and what we have heard over the past week indicate that the man is totally frustrated with what has happened and he believes there is no commitment from Government. He is saying that there is lip service, but actions speak louder than words. I would like to hear the Minister of State's views on what can be done. There needs to be a good relationship with the WDC.

Anne Rabbitte (Galway East, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

I thank Deputy Fitzmaurice for sharing his time.

The level of frustration shown by this gentleman in not looking for reappointment speaks volumes. We believe in rural Ireland, as does this man. Many people believe there is a real good emphasis on rural Ireland, but unfortunately under the WDC at this time there seems to be a lack of vision and a lack of commitment by the Government. Isolation and disillusionment are words that come to mind. Regrettably, when we should be moving forward, we feel we are being left behind. When we feel we should be going further in developing rural Ireland and believing in it, we feel there is a lack of belief, vision and appetite within the Government to deliver for us. That is very disillusioning for the people living in the WDC area.

We would not have brought this to the floor of the House this evening if we did not believe in this man and if we did not believe in what the WDC stands for in driving on for western Ireland and the western seaboard. The Minister of State is from the west and understands where we are coming from. We did not want to come in here this evening and we do not want to bash. In all fairness, there is a lack of vision and commitment. I look forward to what the Minister of State has to say to re-instil confidence. I tabled a number of parliamentary questions on the matter recently. A total of €28 million has been allocated. I would like to know how much of that is spent on administration. I would like to get a breakdown of the investment by sector and by county.

Michael Ring (Mayo, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

I thank the Deputies for raising the issue. The comments of the former chairman of the WDC have received much attention in the past week, arising from a letter he copied to all Members of this House. In his letter, the former chairman contends that there is no commitment to balanced regional development or any plan to redress rural decline.

Nothing could be further from the truth. Regional and rural development is a key priority for the Government, as reflected in the many commitments in the Programme for a Partnership Government to support regional and rural progress. Significant developments in this regard include the publication of the action plan for rural development in January of this year, which represents the first ever whole-of-Government approach to the economic and social development of rural Ireland.

The plan contains more than 270 firm commitments across a range of Departments, State agencies and other bodies to improve the social and economic development of rural Ireland. These are firm actionable commitments for delivery within a specified timeframe and with the bodies responsible for delivery clearly identified. This action plan is about delivery; it is not a piece of academic work to be left on the shelf. The plan has been widely welcomed, including by Pat Spillane, who was chairman of the CEDRA group, and is now acting as an ambassador for the plan.

Good progress has been already made on delivering the action plan, including in my own Department through the launch of initiatives such as the town and village renewal scheme, the CLÁR programme, the outdoor recreation infrastructure scheme and capital grants for local arts and cultural centres.

I have also established a task force to progress the concept of an Atlantic economic corridor along the western seaboard. The forthcoming national planning framework, which is being co-ordinated on behalf of the Government by the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government, Deputy Coveney, will be also a significant milestone in the planning for long-term effective and balanced regional development.

On a national radio programme last week, the presenter put it to the former chairman of the Western Development Commission that the body is involved in the monitoring of action plan for rural development, the action plans for jobs for the west and north west regions, the Atlantic economic corridor task force and in assisting my Department with preparations for Brexit.

In response, the former chairman stated that quite a bit of what was read out was new to him and that he had not heard it before. This is in spite of the fact that the acting CEO of the WDC and other staff of the commission have been actively engaged in all of the initiatives I have outlined. All of this would suggest that the former chairman has not been keeping up with developments in the organisation he had chaired.

Michael Fitzmaurice (Roscommon-Galway, Independent)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

I have no doubt about the likes of the Minister of State's commitment. The bottom line, and Mr. Paddy McGuinness would say the same thing, is that there are plans, reviews, task forces and everything one could dream of in the programme for Government, but actions speak louder than words. It is nearly a year since this Government was formed. The reality is that the TEN-T funding is the one thing the previous Government took out of funding for the west of Ireland. That is crucial for the west and the likes of the western arc. The Minister of State spoke about an Atlantic economic corridor and that is a good thing. I know the Minister of State cannot do it on his own and I am not having a go at him. The bottom line is that we have a Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport who does not seem to know where the west of Ireland is located. Roads are required, as the Minister of State knows, down to his own town of Castlebar and on to Westport. If I leave Mullingar and there is a tractor in front of me, it is all over for me. Where is the funding for the road to Sligo? People in Donegal deserve a life. Actions speak louder than words. Instead of that, there are Departments trying to downgrade the likes of Galway port. When that is happening, we see this frustration that comes with it.

Anne Rabbitte (Galway East, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

Frustration is the word that comes to mind - absolute frustration. There is a lack of action and a lack of vision. While the Minister of State has listed so much, and he is right about the Atlantic corridor and everything else which I have heard all about, it is not materialising on the ground. That is what is frustrating people. They are seeing it in the papers but not on their own roads or in their own communities. The Minister of State talked about various Departments working really well together. However, one Department that is letting down rural Ireland is the Department of Social Protection. It is the Department that is pulling out the bare necessities and the bare threads keeping communities together. While we might have all of the actions to develop and kickstart rural Ireland, if we do not have the Tús workers, the rural social scheme workers and if they are not provided with supervisors on the ground to keep communities selling the best of their wares, we will not be able to bring in tourists and sell what is really good in the west of Ireland. We are failing them.

Michael Ring (Mayo, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

I am not going to read out the speech provided. I will say it straight from the heart. If they want it, I will give both of the Deputies a copy of the letter from the chairman of the Western Development Commission. It is amazing. It is from 27 October 2016. That was not 1916, but 2016. The letter from Mr. McGuinness stated the following:

I write to express my delight, relief and thanks for your decision to progress the three matters outlined in your letter received last week. The speed with which you have moved on these issues is in sharp contrast with my experience with two of them prior to your appointment. Your letter was circulated at our board meeting on Tuesday last and the members indicated their admiration for your decisiveness.

They admired me, my decisiveness and everything else. I do not know what happened in six months. In response to Deputy Rabbitte's point about the rural social scheme, we have provided 500 places on the rural social scheme.

Anne Rabbitte (Galway East, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

Absolutely.

Michael Ring (Mayo, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

I welcome every single one of them.

Anne Rabbitte (Galway East, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

So do I, but-----

Michael Ring (Mayo, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

Good girl. The town and village renewal scheme is up and launched, as is the CLÁR programme. The report of the post office working group is completed. The public consultation process for public banking is done. There is the economic Atlantic corridor. What we are trying to do is compete with the east coast to deal with the infrastructure about which Deputy Fitzmaurice talked. I agree with him 100% that the more infrastructure we get in the west of Ireland, the better. The greatest thing that ever happened to the west was the Wild Atlantic Way, about which some of Deputy Rabbitte's colleagues complained. As soon as we got the Wild Atlantic Way up and running, they wanted something for Dublin and for the midlands. They were so jealous that the Wild Atlantic Way was working so well. I can go on. The Minister of State, Deputy Canney, is doing a superb job in regard to flooding. He has worked so hard on that in recent months and he has it up and running. With regard to the arts, €9 million was invested and 80% of that went to rural Ireland. The Minister, Deputy Naughten, is working on broadband and mobile phone coverage. There are many other positive things happening. What we want is more positivity.

Acting Chairman:

Go raibh maith agat.

Michael Ring (Mayo, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

What we want to stop doing with rural Ireland is having people knocking it at every opportunity they get. There is a lot of positivity-----

Acting Chairman:

A Aire-----

Michael Ring (Mayo, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

-----a lot of people working, a lot of employment, a lot of multinationals and a lot of companies investing in rural Ireland. I am very proud to be a part of this Government that will deliver further on what we have already delivered for rural Ireland. I am not even going to read out what the officials said in the speech because this is what I believe in myself.

Michael Fitzmaurice (Roscommon-Galway, Independent)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

Build the roads and the businesses will come. That is the Ring rant over.

Acting Chairman:

We need to leave time for the other Topical Issues. Ná téigh thar am, más féidir.