Déirdre de Búrca (Green Party)

I welcome the Minister to the House and thank him for his presentation. I welcome the opportunity to discuss the issue of rural development. When we talk about rural development, it is clear that the economic and social development of rural communities must involve much more than what was perhaps the more traditional model of direct assistance to farm families. Some of the dangers of this kind of model have been highlighted in some of the changes that have taken place recently and the number of farmers who are leaving the land because they no longer can make a decent livelihood in the area of farming.

Changes in the Common Agricultural Policy certainly have caused major perturbations in the agricultural sector. There is now a very welcome focus, at least in terms of economic development in rural areas, on promoting rural enterprise. This involves a change or a slight adjustment in terms of the kind of economic model we are promoting. In the national economy there has been a major focus on trying to attract foreign direct investment and on a more outward-looking approach to developing the economic potential of this country whereas, when it comes to rural enterprise, there needs to be much more of a focus on supporting indigenous enterprise. This was certainly recommended by the 2004 Fitzpatrick report on rural enterprise.

There is a real need for training programmes in the area of agricultural entrepreneurship, in other words, a form of business training for those working on the land, with agricultural options built in so a person who wants to take on a farm or who owns a farm is enabled to transform it into a business based possibly on niche food production, organic food production, specialised horticulture or the development of new forms of energy or energy exploitation. This is the way forward in terms of the economic development of rural areas into the future.

The Department of Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs is very committed to the idea of rural development. Within the current programme for Government, the Government has committed to implementing proposals for a community development plan which will deliver community facilities in rural areas, such as playgrounds, community centres, local markets, recycling centres, sports and recreational facilities. There is a specific community development fund to the tune of €150 million which will ensure the implementation of this plan over a five-year period. We know vibrant rural communities are vital to the future of the nation. Social development, in addition to economic development, should be the way in which we try to sustain and enhance life in rural areas.

The programme for Government commits to enhancing and extending the rural transport initiative nationwide over the next five years. This is very important. As a representative of a partly rural constituency, Wicklow, I am aware that the issue of rural transport is complex and difficult but that it certainly needs to be tackled. Where rural transport initiatives have been supported, they have been very successful. There needs to be a much broader approach to promoting rural transport under the current programme for Government. I welcome the fact that it is highlighted in the programme as an area of priority.

We need to invest in the provision of broadband in rural areas and the current programme for Government has committed to this. The Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources, Deputy Eamon Ryan, recognises——