Tackling the problem of infrastructure provision is one of the biggest challenges facing me as Minister for Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs. People talk about the chicken and egg situation with which we are now faced in rural Ireland: which comes first – the infrastructure or the population? There are those who argue that there is no point in providing infrastructure in areas with low or declining populations. They argue that one must have a critical mass, a certain level of population, before it is economically viable to provide infrastructure. I subscribe to the other school of thought, however, believing that if the infrastructure is provided first, it will give people what they need in order to move back home or start life afresh in rural areas. The man or woman who decides to move with his or her family to rural Ireland and set up a business is, in many ways, a much more valuable asset to that community than any multinational which may be established in the nearest city 40 or 50 miles away. If the infrastructure is not in place, however, it will not be possible for him or her to do so and, therefore, the dream of rearing a family in a close-knit rural community will remain just a dream.