Eamon Scanlon (Fianna Fail)

I will be brief because I know that the House is pressed for time. I wish to share my time with Senator Leyden. I welcome the Minister to the House and commend his work over the past two years. There is no Minister with a better understanding of rural Ireland and its problems.

The Minister introduced the CLÁR programme for areas that have suffered serious depopulation over the years. Thanks to that programme there are small group water and sewerage schemes being installed which have made a great difference to those areas earmarked for the programme.

I come from the north-west, from a small town in the very south of County Sligo. That town stood still for most of my childhood and even up to ten years ago. The rural renewal scheme was introduced by the Fianna Fáil Government of the time and in the past four years over 200 houses have been built in my town. At least another 200 houses are being planned and hopefully those houses will be built before the end of the scheme in 2004. It takes far-sighted projects such as these to sustain rural towns, particularly the small towns.