Éamon Ó Cuív (Galway West, Fianna Fail)
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56. To ask the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht the progress made to date in 2017 in the roll-out of the action plan for rural development; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [27287/17]

Éamon Ó Cuív (Galway West, Fianna Fail)
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I congratulate Deputy Michael Ring on his appointment as a senior Minister and look forward to many a joust with him in the coming months in that role. However, as he will be aware, I was underwhelmed when the action plan for rural Ireland was announced and I have not seen evidence of it making any difference on the ground since. There is no point in the Minister giving me information on CLÁR and other schemes because they all predate the action plan. What is new?

Michael Ring (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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I thank the Deputy for his good wishes which I appreciate. He held this brief for many years and I am delighted to be back in charge of it. I am pleased and honoured to serve in government. I am looking forward to working with the Deputy and I am sure we will have many battles on many issues in the coming years.

The action plan for rural development is one of the most significant initiatives undertaken by any Government to support the economic and social development of rural Ireland. The plan recognises that in the 21st century rural Ireland is modern and creative and forms an integral part of the economy through its enterprises, heritage and culture. The plan seeks to change the negative perception of rural Ireland and help it to realise its full potential. In that context, it contains more than 270 tangible actions across government which will support the economic and social progress of rural Ireland. A comprehensive monitoring structure has been put in place to ensure all of these actions will be implemented. Progress reports will he published every six months, with the first due to be published in July. A high level monitoring committee which I chair has also been established to oversee this process and ensure the actions will be delivered. The actions are being rolled out and beginning to make an impact. For example, we launched the 2017 town and village renewal scheme, with funding of €20 million over 15 months, to support the economic development of up to 300 rural towns and villages; €9 million has been approved for investment in 56 arts and culture centres across the country, with over 80% of the investment in rural areas; while I launched the 2017 CLÁR programme and the rural recreation infrastructure scheme, with combined funding of €16 million, to support rural communities.

Other Ministers and Departments have also delivered significant initiatives with clear benefits for rural communities. For example, the Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation continues to deliver the regional action plans for jobs and more than three quarters of all employment created in the first quarter of the year was outside Dublin. The Department of Social Protection has created an additional 500 places on the rural social scheme. The Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine recently announced that €3.6 million had been allocated to 153 projects under the seven fisheries local action groups. These and other developments can be found in an interim progress report on the action plan for rural development which is available on a new dedicated website for rural development matters: www.ruralireland.ie.

Éamon Ó Cuív (Galway West, Fianna Fail)
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It does not do the Minister justice when he starts reading Civil Service scripts. That is not the Michael Ring I used to know, who used to be on fire on this side of the House, filled with indignation and going to change the world. He has read a script from civil servants which outlines all of the initiatives that were happening and has nothing new in it. He might have a negative perception of rural Ireland, but I have a hugely positive perception of it. It does not get fair play, which is a different issue. A total of 276 actions are mentioned in the action plan for rural development, many of these were being implemented before the plan was announced. Therefore, let us leave them aside. Will the Minister list three new actions or plans that were not in train and which have commenced as part of the roll-out of the action plan? What are their numbers in the action plan in order that I can read for myself what the three great new actions are?

Michael Ring (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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The Deputy referred to not having taken any action. The first action I took when I took office was simple. When the Deputy was Minister, he had the CLÁR programme up and running, but it was closed in 2009. I reopened it. That is one real action which has helped rural communities throughout the country. The programme has worked well and many rural schemes have benefited from it.

The Deputy also closed the rural recreation scheme. I reopened it last year and advertised it.

Éamon Ó Cuív (Galway West, Fianna Fail)
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I did not close either scheme.

Michael Ring (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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There is substantial funding for the scheme this year.

The Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation has the Action Plan for Jobs which has produced results. A total of 80% of the jobs created last year are in rural Ireland. I am a newly appointed Minister. I have to set up a new Department which, as the Deputy will be aware, takes time. I also have to get a Secretary General in place. However, I have many plans for rural Ireland. Like the Deputy, I am committed to and passionate about rural Ireland. What I really want to stop is the negativity about it, not from the Deputy but from other Opposition Members. We have some fine, intelligent people working for multinational companies in rural Ireland. In my county we have Allergan, Baxter and Coca Cola. They have fine, intelligent people. I want to stop Members being negative.

Éamon Ó Cuív (Galway West, Fianna Fail)
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The schemes the Minister mentioned were not closed in 2009. I was Minister at the time and when he checks the record, he will find that is not true and that there were budget commitments in 2010 and 2011. The money was made available by us. Is it correct that the Minister was Minister of State with responsibility for rural and regional development?

Michael Ring (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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Correct.

Éamon Ó Cuív (Galway West, Fianna Fail)
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Is it correct that only €2.76 million out of a total capital allocation of €67 million was spent by his Department in the first five months of the year? Will he confirm that virtually all of the €2.76 million, less €75,000, relates to the administration costs of Leader companies and that no money from this year's allocation has been spent on the ground in rural Ireland in the first five months of 2017? Will he also confirm how much of the €28 million he paid out to local authorities for work that was not done before the end of last year has been spent by them in the first five months of the year?

Michael Ring (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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The Deputy is correct that we paid local authorities upfront last December. To be fair to them, contracts have to be entered into under the rural economic development zones, REDZ, programme and the town and village scheme, but there has been a substantial improvement in the figures the Deputy received last February. I will provide further information for him through an update on the amount being spent in reply to a later question.

Éamon Ó Cuív (Galway West, Fianna Fail)
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How much?

Michael Ring (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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I would like the local authorities to spend that money. I would also like more of the funding under the CLÁR, REDZ and Leader programmes and the rural recreation and other schemes to be spent. I will ring county managers this week to make sure that is happening, but there has been a major improvement in the spend in the past few months.

They got that money in December and have been complaining that it was a bad time of year. Let us wait and see. We are getting a progress report from them to see what they actually spent up to May. I will give the Deputy a copy of that the minute I have it.

Éamon Ó Cuív (Galway West, Fianna Fail)
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The Minister-----

Pat Gallagher (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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I am sorry, but we must move on. There can be no further supplementary questions.

Peadar Tóibín (Meath West, Sinn Fein)
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I congratulate the Minister, Deputy Michael Ring, on his appointment and wish him the best of luck-----

Michael Ring (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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On a point of order, the Minister of State with responsibility, Deputy Joe McHugh, is to come in to take these questions shortly. The Minister, Deputy Heather Humphreys, is sick. I am taking the rural and recreation questions and would appreciate it if I could take just those questions. I ask for the permission of the House to do so.

Pat Gallagher (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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It is not possible unless we get the Members to agree. The information I have is that the next question to be dealt with by the Minister is Question No. 61 in the name of Deputy Joan Burton. She may well be waiting in the wings.

Éamon Ó Cuív (Galway West, Fianna Fail)
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I think it is unfair. The problem is there could be Deputies waiting to come into the House in sequence who assume there will be five Priority Questions. It is unfair to suddenly jump to Question No. 61.

Peadar Tóibín (Meath West, Sinn Fein)
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While we are waiting, I want to ask the Minister about the make-up of the Department. Will it be a shared Department or will there be a separate Department for rural affairs in the future?

Michael Ring (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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That is a very good question. There will be two separate Departments. A new, separate Department will be set up with its own Secretary General, a position which has to be advertised. It will be a full, brand new Department and I will only have responsibility for certain areas. I hope the Minister of State, Deputy Joe McHugh, will be here shortly to deal with the questions.

Peadar Tóibín (Meath West, Sinn Fein)
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What is the estimated timeframe for the splitting of the Departments?

Michael Ring (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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I have to honest and Deputy Éamon Ó Cuív knows this as he has been here long enough. I was given this role last week. Every other Minister walked into an old Department. This is the only new Department that is being set up. It is a new Department. We will have to get a new Secretary General and offices and get the Department up and running. At present, I am using the old office but that will happen.

As I said, I am taking all the questions relating to rural affairs. The Minister of State, Deputy Joe McHugh, was to come to the House and I hope he will be here shortly.

Pat Gallagher (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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The Minister of State, Deputy Joe McHugh, is at the Business Committee. The House may consider agreeing that the Minister continue but the next question to him has been tabled by Deputy Joan Burton who is possibly of the view that there are four other priority questions to be taken first. I think, therefore, it would be unfair to her. There is a series of questions, such as Questions Nos. 66, 67, 69 and 71. Perhaps the Minister, if he has the files, might be prepared to continue until the Minister of State arrives.

Michael Ring (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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If the House wants, I can take this question.

Pat Gallagher (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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Deputy Peadar Tóibín should proceed.