Éamon Ó Cuív (Galway West, Fianna Fail)

Exactly. My challenge is to create that free choice. Having decided that is what we have to do, we must decide what policy measures are required to achieve the objective. Second, we have to question whether the policies are adequate for the purpose. We have done a number of things. We have set up the CLÁR programme and introduced the sustainable rural housing guidelines. We are involved in decentralisation and rural proofing of Government policy. Next week we will launch the biggest and best Leader rural development programme worth €425 million. We introduced the rural transport initiative and the rural social scheme. We are engaged also in rural recreation and the exploitation of the significant resources Ireland has in terms of rural tourism.

To achieve the objective of developing rural life we need to recognise that all organs of state have an obligation to recognise Government policy and to be involved in bringing it through to fruition. I accept that we have not achieved our goal yet because the way I measure how well I am doing is to look at the population statistics and standard of living. I will not have achieved my goal until the population in the most rural area is growing and the standard of living is rising. Population is at the core of developing life in rural Ireland. It is easier to provide services and to stimulate diversification of the rural economy when there is a stable or growing population. That is something to which our planners will have to face up.