Tom Parlon (Laois-Offaly, Progressive Democrats)

I welcome this opportunity, on behalf of the Minister for Finance, to speak about the rural renewal scheme in the Seanad this evening.

Prior to introducing the scheme in the budget for 1998, the Minister for Finance had been aware for quite a considerable time of the problems of the upper Shannon area and that the area was not sharing in the economic success enjoyed by much of the country at that time. The 1996 census showed that the populations of both counties Longford and Leitrim had declined while every other county in the State had shown moderate or significant increases.