Jerry Buttimer (Fine Gael)

Cuirim fáilte roimh an Aire. Maraon leis an Aire, tá áthas orm cúpla focal a rá faoi chursaí forbartha tuaithe mar tá a lán fadhbanna i measc pobal na tuaithe. Fine Gael welcomes the publication of the Leader programme or rural development programme, despite the delay. As the Minister stated in his address, rural Ireland has two great assets, its natural resources and its people. It should be recognised that a significant proportion of the money being provided is from the European Union. I hope the people of rural Ireland who voted against the Lisbon treaty in June 2008 will take cognisance of the fact that, without funding from the European Union, we would not have significant resources to invest in rural Ireland. In fairness to our EU counterparts, we must acknowledge the support they give us. I hope this will be recognised by na gnáth daoine.

While the funding is clearly welcome, there has been a long delay in bringing the programme to fruition. We all accept it was necessary to have reform but, as the Minister stated, it has come at a time when the regions are suffering. Let us be honest and realise we face an economic downturn, partly as a consequence of Government policy and partly due to the global downturn. The number of unemployed on the live register has increased massively. It is the largest increase in over a quarter of a century. One person is losing his job every three minutes, amounting to 70,000 jobs since the Taoiseach, Deputy Brian Cowen, took office.

In this economic context, 45% of multinationals based in Ireland said they would not come here again, primarily because of the high cost of doing business here and the poor quality of our infrastructure. Unfortunately, as the Minister and Senators know, the areas of the country worst hit by the stark reality of the recession are the rural, peripheral regions. Despite the fanfare at the launch of the programme and many of the Minister's fine remarks, we must be clear that it is critical to stimulate growth in regional areas. I do not know whether that is addressed in the programme. I hope so but I do not believe it.

Funding for business creation and the development of tourism activities is welcome and to be lauded but there must be adequate supports to ensure these activities will not just be soundbites or a short-lived success. The Minister referred to canals and the Volvo Ocean Race in Galway in 2009. Baltimore in west Cork and Crosshaven, with their ability to attract sailors and others involved in ocean-related activity, must be developed. We must use our ocean more and I support the Minister fully in this regard. His words need to be more than soundbites and simple throwaway remarks, which I hope they will not be.

The Minister is introducing this programme after having decided at Cabinet to introduce levies that will hit tourism at a time when visitor numbers are decreasing. The chairman of Ireland West Airport Knock referred to this prospect this morning. Tourism Ireland and Fáilte Ireland were before the Joint Committee on Arts, Sport, Tourism, Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs in recent weeks. The agricultural community in particular was hit in the budget through the axing of many of the schemes designed to rejuvenate the sector and encourage young people to stay in farming.

Infrastructure is critical to the development of the regions. The Leader of the Seanad spoke correctly about the fact that Ireland does not end at the border of Dublin or the M50. The Minister lives in a rural area in Galway West and I am from Cork city, although my family is from west Cork and north Cork. Rural Ireland is the lifeblood of our country and, if we are to be serious, we must not stall infrastructure projects under Transport 21. I refer to the western rail corridor, the Cork commuter rail plan——